Origins
by Estrella
Summary: Think you know who's who in Halloween Town? Think again. Rated PG13 for adult themes, language, and deaths.
1. A Few Words from Henry

Author's Note: Here it is once again. What started out as a suspense-building story trailer turned out to be pretty neat in my book. It also introduced a certain dead man by the name of Henry. He'll get more time to show his stuff in another story of mine, but here he serves as your guide. Have fun getting reacquainted with him and eight other characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas. And remember, folks, you never know where you're going until you know where you've been.

Origins

Every person lives. Every life has a purpose. Sometimes, that purpose isn't found out until a person passes from one world to the next. In the case of eight people, that proved very true. All of them died on October thirty-first only to be reborn into a realm where the magic and wonder of that day reigned supreme every day of the year-

Glenn Ross was a beloved politician of a small Southern American town in the early 1920's. He was far ahead of his time when he was elected mayor of his town. The changes he tried to bring were too much for some residents. They made sure he would not be alive to see them made.

Later in that same decade, Oscar Bogart was a double-crossing poker master in the speakeasies of Chicago. He was above the law and no one could do a thing about it except watch. That is, until Oscar double-crossed the wrong people and got into more trouble than he could ever hope to handle.

Frederick Finkel was a doctor and esteemed German scientist as his country was falling under a new government in the late 1930's. He was a good man who was planning to leave his home when he realized what troubles were to come. He almost escaped, until he opened his heart and home to a young woman in danger. In exchange for his compassion, Frederick lost his own life.

Louis, Shirley, and Barry were three of many children residing in an orphanage in the 1950's. They were mischievous children who loved nothing more than to play tricks on their guardians. The three were supposed to be adopted by different homes, but that all changed one fateful Halloween night. They lived together, and they died together.

Jake Skelly was an ace gymnast who lived in Manhattan with a troupe of entertainers and bohemians in the 1960's. However, Jake wanted so much more, like a chance to sing and dance on Broadway and become a real star. One Halloween, he was on his way to the audition of his lifetime. He never made it.

Sarah Anderson was a college student in the 1970's. She was a quiet girl, a good girl whose life was centered around her family and her studies. Sarah had never thought about breaking any rules until she fell in love with the class ladies' man. The one night she decided to be rebellious would be her very last: October thirty-first.

A mayor wronged by his community, a conniving gambler who got his just desserts, an man of science whose compassion lead to sacrifice, three friends with only each other to rely on, a gymnast who dreamt of stardom, and a college girl taken before her time all have three things in common despite their various backgrounds. First of all, they all died on Halloween. Secondly, they were all meant for greater things than what only life had in store for them. Third, and most important of all, they were all born once more and given new identities to go with their fates.

Most of you know of a two-faced mayor who cannot make his own decisions or of a villainous bug-filled sack with a penchant for gambling. Surely you recognize the mad scientist and his lovely creation or remember the best trick-or-treaters Halloween has ever had. Who can forget the King of Halloween himself, the skeletal master of fright?

They were all marked beings. They were meant to come to the town of Halloween. Some were good, some were bad, and some I am not quite sure of what they have inside. All I know was that they were supposed to join this little community of the strange and that was that. Why am I the one telling you all of this? I'm the one who brought each and every one of them. I am the one passing their stories on to you.

– Henry Cadaver, the former Pumpkin King.

That's it for now readers. I hate to let you guys hang like this, but I just had to get this plot line out there. Think of this as a trailer for an upcoming movie. I promise to continue this as soon as Raising Takoda is done, so until then, this is all you're getting.


	2. Good Intentions

Author's Note: Ok. I kept my promise. You have all been very patient with me as I finished my other story. Now, it's time for your well-deserved reward. The Nightmare Before Christmas has many aspects that make all of us in the fandom swoon over it. Most important of all, I think, are the characters. This story stars eight of those originals, and one narrator who sprang out of my head. Speaking of Henry, I think he has something to tell all of you. ;) (Re-edit Comment: This chapter got a nice little makeover, don't you think?)

The story of Halloween Town as you know it began in Abbot, Mississippi. I know what you're thinking, that Jack Skellington lived there. Well, he didn't. I'll get to him later. No, Abbot was the home of Glenn Ross. He was the mayor of Abbot from 1922 to 1923; October 31st, 1923 to be exact. What happened to him? Come now, I'm not going to tell you _that _early. If there's one thing I learned from the present Pumpkin King, it's how to keep an audience. I will say this though: Glenn was, is, a good man. He was ahead of his time by at least forty years, and the decision he made cost him his life. No wonder the poor guy can't do anything for himself in the afterlife. He's terrified of making another mistake.

— Henry Cadaver

October 27th, 1923

It was an unusually nippy afternoon in Abbot. For being in the South, it could get pretty cold when autumn came around. Mayor Ross decided to put on a coat instead of a light jacket this morning. He didn't want to catch a cold, not when he had a speech to make. In a less than an hour, he would be addressing the whole town. He had to look and sound his best. He walked to the mirror to make any final adjustments, nearly tripping on a rug on the way there.

"Not again. I have to move that thing," Mayor Ross said to himself before looking into the mirror.

Glenn Ross was a short man, five feet, four inches at the most. He was also on the portly side and his graying brown hair was all but gone, yet he more than made up for his physical shortcomings. Glenn could light up a room with his own emotions. When he was happy, his joy would jump from person to person, it was infectious. When he demanded something, it was done simply because the look on his face meant business. Some say that he was elected mayor because people could not bear to see him sad if he had lost. Right now, the famous face had a confident smile. He had work to do.

Mayor Ross strolled out of his home and tipped his hat to townspeople making their way to the town hall. They smiled politely at him as they walked ahead, some even stopped to shake his hand. Mayor Ross took advantage of this for as long as he could. The subject matter of his speech this day would most likely challenge a few ideas, but he had to tell it like it was. Frankly, as the Mayor of Abbot, it was his duty to take charge. As he walked up to the town hall, he took a deep breath before climbing the stairs, knowing full well he would probably be out of it by the time he reached the top. He was right.

"Whew. My next order of business after today is to start a diet, maybe stick to it for once," Mayor Ross said to himself before hearing raised voices.

"You can't come in here," said one man to another, "No colored people allowed."

"I'm a resident of this town. I'm as allowed to make decisions as you are," said the second man.

"You're too ignorant to make any important decisions," said the first man, a thin white man dressed in a modest blue suit.

"Then I refuse to be kept ignorant," the second man, a young African-American in denim jeans and a short-sleeved shirt, replied

"Go back to the other side of the tracks, with the rest of your kind," the first man said, raising his right fist to the other's face.

"Is there a problem, Arnold?" Mayor Ross asked as he approached the white man.

"This man wants to come to the meeting," the white man said in a tone mixed of shock and disgust.

"It's a free country. He's allowed."

"Mayor, I don't think that's a wise choice."

"It's not yours to make. Go inside, Mr. Smith."

"Don't say I didn't warn you, sir," Mr. Arnold Smith said, giving one last venomous look at the black man before entering the building.

"Maybe I should leave," the black man said, nervously eyeing the doorway into the town hall.

"And let people like him win? You'll like my speech if you stay. What's your name, boy?"

"James. James Glover. To be honest, I really live on the other side of the tracks. I shouldn't be here."

"But you are. You made the trip, might as well come inside."

"Where will I sit? When people see me, they kind of move away."

"Don't you worry. I'll take care of that."

The mayor walked inside with the young man, amidst the surprised looks of the community seated inside. Of course, no one made any comments aloud to the mayor as he walked down the aisle with the stranger. They were silent. It was a tense situation for them, one the mayor hoped to ease with his words when he stepped up to the podium, using a small stool to look over it.

"Today is Saturday, October 27th of 1923. I've called you all here because I want this day to live on in Abbot history. I'm sure you all know of the community on the other side of the tracks. We have a visitor from there. Stand on up, Mr. Glover, don't be shy."

James stood up from his seat in the from row. He looked around the hall of faces staring him down in the most polite way possible. It made him uncomfortable, but at least he was there to have his voice heard. He waved to the residents of Abbot before sitting back down, nodding to the mayor as he did so.

"I have seen how they live, and it is unfair. As Mayor of Abbot, I want to fully integrate them into our town."

"But, they're... different," said Arnold Smith, the provoker from before, standing up and glaring at James.

"We're all different," the Mayor pointed out, getting a murmur from the crowd.

"That's not what I mean, sir," Mr. Smith said, trying not to bring his prejudice out in front of the mayor.

"Please explain what you mean, Mr. Smith. When I look at James here I see another human being. We're all human beings here, aren't we? Isn't it our job as good Christian folk to make sure our neighbors are living as good as we are?"

"I guess," Mr. Smith said, sitting down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time Abbot moved towards the future. We need to set an example for the rest of the state, heck, the rest of the country. Look at what's happened in the past years. President Harding is dead among a wave of scandals. Prohibition, which we voted for, is being infiltrated by speakeasies and home breweries. Worst of all, other states have politicians working under a higher power that should actually be considered lower. You know what organization I speak of, the one that murders innocent people simply because they're 'different'," Mayor Ross said as he banged his right fist on the podium, not really noticing the guilty looks on the faces of the crowd. "I will not let Abbot sink into that evil. Instead, I'm going to annex the community on the other side of the tracks, with your permission of course," Mayor Ross said to James before facing the crowd again, "and Abbot will become an example for the rest of the country."

This would have been the part where the Abbot would have applauded the mayor. However, today was different. The applause was scattered, if anything. There was more murmuring among the townsfolk. For once, they didn't like their mayor's ideas. That didn't matter to Glenn, though. As far as he was concerned, he did a good job and called the meeting off. They would have to accept that idea eventually. Then again, he didn't like all of the icy stares that met him as he walked home that night.

"I did a good job," Glenn said to himself as he turned a corner, practically running from gossiping townsfolk, "They'll thank me for this," he continued before hearing a noise in a bush, "Who's there?"

The Mayor walked over to the bush and separated its branches with his hands. There was nothing there, not even a stray cat. His mind was playing tricks on him, probably due to the stress of the meeting. He sighed to himself before turning around to find he wasn't alone. On the other side of the street was a man lying in a heap. His clothes were ragged, torn in some places. He had to be a hobo of some sort, passed out from hunger. Mayor Ross ran over to the man to make sure he was alright.

Upon closer inspection, the Mayor saw that he was dead! He had to be, the bones on his left forearm were visible! His skin was starting to turn blue and half of his face didn't even have skin, only muscles. The Mayor was about to call for help when the corpse actually grabbed his right ankle.

"Let go of me!" exclaimed the Mayor.

"Calm yourself. You only have four," said the corpse.

"Four, four what?"

"Days," the corpse explained, looking around to see if they were being watched.

"Four days? What are you talking about? What are you?"

"Actually, it's who. I am Henry Cadaver. You'll get to know me very soon."

"Let me go. Leave me alone,"the Mayorsaid as he tried to shake the corpse's hand off of his ankle.

"As you wish," Henry said as Glenn blinked his eyes shut.

When Glenn blinked, the corpse was gone. He wiped his brow with a handkerchief before heading home as fast as he could. Four days? Henry Cadaver? The only thing Mayor Ross could think of was Halloween. It had to be a trick from the kids in town. What else could it be?

The Present

He can't say I didn't try to warn him. I even gave him four days to prepare, and that is something I wasn't supposed to so. I felt bad for him, especially the way he... well, I don't want to ruin it for you just yet.

— Henry Cadaver


	3. The Once and Future Mayor

Author's Note: Awwww, you guys are so supportive. It makes me feel all warm and mushy inside. Thank you for your comments thus far. As for tagging, to be honest, it irks me to use the word 'said' over and over again. I know I should, but it annoys me for some reason. I promise to improve on that, scout's honor (even though I never _was_ a scout). Anyhow, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a fabulous piece of work. It came from Tim Burton's mind, with music from Danny Elfman. Disney and Touchstone Pictures brought it to theaters near you and Capcom is following up the events of the movie in a game. Now, here's the real person you came here to see. (Re-edit Comment: This part was the hardest to write. Probably because it was my very first scene of its nature.)

I see you are truly interested in the fate of Mayor Glenn Ross. I could tell you that he ceased living and came to Halloween Town, but I doubt that would quench your curiosity. Well, let me warn you right now- Glenn did not die peacefully. He wasn't so quick to take to the afterlife either. Believe me, I know. If you are faint of heart, you may want to skip this portion of my story. To those with strong hearts, or a stronger need to know such things, please, read on.

— Henry Cadaver

October 31st, 1923

Holidays have a way of making one forget troubles. Halloween was no different. In fact, Mayor Ross seemed to love this day almost as much as Christmas. The children certainly shared his attitude. All afternoon, the mayor opened his door to trick-or-treaters and gave them enough sweets to give Abbot's dentist a good year's work. Just a glance at their innocent faces made Mayor Ross scold himself for thinking Abbot's youth was responsible for that haunting corpse.

Four days had passed without incident. Mayor Ross guessed the corpse and his warning was a figment of his overworked mind. As the day grew darker and darker, he forgot more and more about his encounter. After all, he had a Halloween party to oversee. The children had the day, and the parents had the night, the Midnight Halloween Ball. Ever since the mayor himself was a child, the Ball was held for Abbot's adults. They would dance, mingle, and hold raffles for prizes. As mayor, Glenn had to look and act his best.

He had created his own costume, so to speak. Actually, Mayor Ross wore his usual clothing, except for the button on his jacket reading "Ross for Mayor". It was his face he was "dressing up". Mayor Ross had painted the left side of it blue and traced a large frown over his mouth on that side. He only drew a large half-smile on the right side of his face to complete his "costume". He would go as something quite clever to the Ball: a two-faced politician.

"Well, here goes nothing," Glenn said to his mirror image as he put in a top hat, threw a coat over his jacket, and left his house.

Mayor Ross noticed the lack of children on the streets as he left. This struck him as odd. It was only nine o' clock. He had seen children ten and older out and about much later than that on previous Halloweens. Heck, he had been one of them. Mayor Ross shrugged to himself; he was too busy to figure out this little mystery. Besides, the kids were probably coming down from their candy-fueled sugar rushes as he worried about them.

"Calm down, Glenn," he told himself. "Everything's going swell. No corpse, kids are home, and you're going to have a blast at the... Ball."

The Town Hall, where the Midnight Halloween Ball was always held, was dark. _This_ was definitely not normal. Without a second thought, Glenn ran inside, tripping himself up a bit on the stairs. He couldn't see an inch in front of him when he walked inside. He could sense he wasn't alone, but he had no way of knowing so until the lights came on. Glenn shivered in fear as he walked aimlessly ahead, unaware of what was to meet him. The lights only seemed to come on when he bumped into something.

This something was a crude casket made of wooden planks. Glenn jumped back when he realized who was in it. James Glover, the young man from the other side of the tracks lay dead inside. Glenn could make out welts on and around James' neck; he had been beaten and hanged to death. Tears came to the mayor's face. Who would have done this to a man barely in his twenties? The mayor got his answer when he turned around.

The adults had watched him enter. All of Abbot was dressed in white for the occasion, only, they weren't angels or ghosts. No, they were something much worse. The sea of white robes parted to form one aisle, where their leader was apparently waiting for Mayor Ross. Glenn had no choice but to walk back, either that or be shot by one of the Klan members pointing shotguns at him. He should have known that Arnold Smith was behind this.

"Arnold, when did this happen?" Mayor Ross asked, looking around at the town he barely knew anymore.

"It's always been this way, Glenn," Arnold said, nodding solemnly.

"Not for me it hasn't."

"You might as well be a damn Yankee then. You always were the overblown rich boy, taking vacations up North and getting your mind poisoned by their cities. You hardly know the people you grew up with."

"Why did you all vote for me then?"

"You promised us progress, Glenn," Arnold said. "Integrating those _people_ into our town is not progress. We don't look too kindly on people who can't keep promises."

"How can you call yourselves honest people?" Glenn asked the crowd, only for everyone to look towards their leader to answer for them.

"We're the Lord's chosen ones. We're only doing what He commands."

"You've all fallen into the wrong crowd! It's not too late for all of you to become good people again."

"We became good people the moment we got rid of him," Arnold said as he pointed to James' casket.

"Did you have to kill the boy?"

"He didn't die alone."

"What do you mean?" Glenn asked, feeling sick the moment the question left his mouth.

"The community on the other side of the tracks is no more," Arnold said, a smile forming on his face. "We got rid of as many as we could and the rest ran. There's still one person left to get rid of," Arnold finished.

Glenn didn't need to ask who this was. He felt one of the other Klan member throw a noose around his neck and tighten it, as if he was a dog. Arnold motioned for all of them to follow him. Glenn nearly choked right then as he was led out. He was absolutely sure his life would end this night. He wouldn't die surrounded by loved ones or of natural causes. He was going to be murdered for trying to do the right thing.

It took a while to find a the right place. It was right on their side of the tracks, ironically enough. The last thing Glenn would see before his death would be the ruins of people he tried to make family. As the mayor climbed on top of a barrel, Arnold threw the other end of noose over the branch and secured it. Being the unofficial executioner, Arnold asked Glenn if he had any last words.

"Yes, I do," Glenn said before clearing his throat. "I'm not the only two-faced one here. All of you pretend to be good people. But inside you are all heartless, every last one of you. No good people would kill others for being different. I'm not worried about my soul. I know I'm going to a better place than any of you."

"A big man to the end, aren't you?" Arnold asked in a condescending tone. "We're better off without you. When you're swinging, I'll make myself mayor and run Abbot the way it should be run. The folks here have agreed to it."

"I'm amazed you fools managed to come up with a plan to kill me in four days. I don't know if it's more of a compliment to you or an insult to me."

"You could always convert."

"If that's the choice you're giving me, then get rid of this barrel."

"Alright. You asked for it. See you on the other side, Mr. Mayor."

With one swift kick, Arnold Smith removed the barrel underneath Mayor Ross' feet. Glenn fell as far as the noose would allow him. It didn't break his neck, meaning that he would painfully suffocate to death. As he strained against the rope, he could make out the Klan applauding his imminent death. Glenn Ross kicked and convulsed as he ran out of air. Closing his eyes, Glenn Ross prayed for his soul before he let out what was his final breath.

For most people, this is where the story would end. But Glenn Ross still had much to do. When his soul left his body, it didn't go towards Heaven or Hell. Instead, it found something, someone, else. Amidst all of the Klan, there was one "person" who was different. The corpse had returned, and it was waiting for Glenn.

"You! I know you," Glenn's soul, a shadow of his former self, said to the corpse.

"Are you sure about that?" asked the corpse as he began to walk away.

"Hey, you can't leave me here," the soul replied, following the corpse. "I don't even know what's going on. Who am I? You wouldn't know, would you?"

"I wasn't planning to leave you here. Come along, we have a lot to talk about."

The soul, not having anything better to do, hovered alongside the corpse. As they walked, the corpse man told the soul his name, which really did strike him as familiar. He was Henry Cadaver, some kind of royal from far away. He certainly didn't look like a royal. What should have been a fancy imperial uniform was in tatters. In some places, Glenn's soul could even see tissue and bones. He would have been sick, had he a stomach.

"What kind of king are you?" the soul asked.

"I'm the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town," Henry replied with a proud voice.

"Is that where we're going?"

"Yes. It's your new home."

"Really? Where did I live before?"

Henry sighed to himself. This soul certainly asked a lot of questions. Then again, all the souls that died violent deaths did. Souls that died violently sometimes forgot their whole lives. Glenn Ross definitely fit that type, not that Henry blamed him. As they walked into a circular clearing of trees, Henry did the best he could in telling Glenn what was in store for him.

"You're going to be the Mayor of Halloween Town."

"Me? Are you sure? I don't think I'd be too good at that," the soul admitted in an embarrassed tone.

"You'll be fine," Henry said reassuringly.

"I don't think so," the soul said.

"Come now, don't think that way. You're going to love it." Henry said as he stopped in front of a pumpkin-shaped door. "We're here."

"There's a whole world in a tree?" the soul asked.

"And then some," Henry replied as he opened the door. "Well, come on in, Mr. Mayor."

Apparently, Henry could grab the soul as if he were grabbing a tangible person. Then again, the moment Glenn's soul went through that door, it did become tangible. He began to feel a bit wide, to say the least. His head spun around, either literally or through dizziness, the soul didn't quite know. By the time the Pumpkin King and the soul were on the stony streets of Halloween Town, the former Glenn Ross had taken on a new persona. He was the Mayor of Halloween Town now.

Henry watched the Mayor take a few steps on his own, getting used to having legs again. He tripped on a misshapen rock, but promptly got back up. What worried Henry was that the Mayor's head was constantly spinning around. His emotions kept flipping from positive to negative, and his head couldn't keep up. Soon enough, the poor Mayor was flat on the ground, head set in the Unhappy Face.

"I'm dizzy," said the Mayor.

"You need to control your emotions a bit better," Henry said. "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it."

"What if I don't?"

"What you need to stop doing is thinking like that. Now get up, you need to meet the townsfolk. Then again, they have to meet you."

"What do you mean?" the Mayor asked as he got up.

One by one, they came. Ghouls, ghosts, a werewolf, a man with an axe sticking right out of his head, vampires, witches, a whole weird band of creatures. They were all different. If they were in any other realm, they would be called misfits, monsters. They would be hated, maybe hunted down. But not here. Here, everyone was odd together. This made the Mayor happy, which in turn made his head spin around once again.

"I feel better, I think," the Mayor, holding a hand to his happy forehead, said to Henry.

"These are our subjects. As king, I'm supposed to have ultimate ruling and protect them, but you have just as important a job. From now on, you will be in charge of planning Halloween festivities and any other events that happen here. You'll be the one they have to talk to when they need to be heard. You are their biggest voice," Henry said.

"Halloween? Didn't that end?"

"It never ends here. Besides, you have a whole 365 days to plan for next time."

"Well, I guess I should get started then."

That night was something the former Glenn Ross would remember. Slowly, but surely, he came out of his shell as he spoke to the Halloween Townsfolk. They trusted him to assist the Pumpkin King in Halloween festivities. They found him to be a quaint little man whose two faces didn't mean any harm. As for the Mayor, he was comfortable with the arrangement of odd people. For some reason he couldn't quite place, he found them to be very interesting and would do all he could to keep them happy, even if it meant overdoing things at some points.

Present

Glenn Ross got the change he wanted, albeit in an entirely different way than he had planned. Someone of his kind nature was needed in Halloween Town. Not only because he was understanding to the existing residents, but because he was tolerant of those to come. It is rare to find someone who could tolerate the likes of a Mr. Oscar Bogart, but he did it. That was something even I couldn't do, but alas, he was marked. Hence, I had to bring his soul to Halloween Town no matter what he was meant to become.

— Henry Cadaver


	4. Playing Games

Author's Note: YES! You actually do read the disclaimers! I've danced a little jig to celebrate that. Now, before I get too off-track, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a wonderful, wonderful film. It came out in 1993, although, it was in Tim Burton's mind for at least ten years prior to its release. To make things simple- I had nothing to do with it's creation. These particular character backgrounds are mine, the settings of each character's "mortal home" is based on historical fact and accuracy and made fictional for your reading pleasure. The only person I really own is Henry Cadaver, who's just about ready to continue. (Re-edit Comment: yeah, I'm still happy you all read the disclaimers.)

It isn't my place to judge, but I cannot help it sometimes. Oscar Bogart was a liar and a cheat, among other things. He loved power, and did anything he could to achieve it. In the bootlegging wars between Al Capone and George "Bugs" Moran, Bogart chose the side that won. Different sides won each and every day, and he eventually crossed the both of them. I'd say more, but I feel you'd like to see Mr. Bogart's fall for yourselves.

— Henry Cadaver

October 28th, 1927

Chicago was quickly going to hell in a handbasket, not that anyone particularly cared. Prohibition had been in effect for quite a while, but that only made liquor sales hit an all-time high. Jazz music was denounced on the conservative morning radio shows, and played in every club, hall, and speakeasy when the sun set. One of the best places to hear jazz in Chicago was in the neighborhood of Bronzeville on the south side; the fact it was predominantly African-American made the jazz authentic and real, not watered down. For one resident of the decadent metropolis, that certainly held true.

A Ford Model T turned into a dead end alley. The driver parked it against the wooden wall separating the alley from another street. The doors opened, and out stepped a rather large man, who needed the assistance of a cane to manage his girth. He shut the door of the car and walked over to a door hidden among the bricks of the building to the left of him. He tapped the door with the end of his cane, and an eye-level slit opened in the door.

"What's the phrase?" asked the doorman.

"Boy, you know I come here every day," Oscar said, reluctant to say the entry phrase.

"How do we know you're not here with the cops?"

"Oh, fine. Oogie boogie 'til the cows come home. Happy?"

The doorman answered by shutting the slit. Mr. Bogart heard the locks of the door turn one by one, until the door opened to the sound of raging jazz music. The doorman looked the alley over for a few moments before letting the man enter. To do that, he had to stand outside as Oscar maneuvered his belly through the door. Once he was inside, the doorman followed, and immediately caught the patron's coat.

"Walter, how many times have I told you to stop asking me that stupid question?" Oscar asked as he adjusted his tailored suit. "Damn, another string's coming loose on the sleeve again," he said to himself as he awaited the doorman's answer.

"Sorry, Mr. Bogart, but the cops have been coming around trying to shut us down," Walter, the doorman, apologized.

"You can at least come up with something better. Besides, I own the cops in Bronzeville. They work for me now."

"Through Capone or Moran?"

"Hell, I don't even know anymore," Oscar said before looking at a table setting up for poker. "Any good players tonight?"

"The usual crowd."

"Good. Fix me up the usual and we're in business."

"No problem, Mr. Bogart. By the way, here are your lucky dice," Walter said, passing a pair of red dice to Oscar. "I'll be over with your drink once you get started."

Oscar nodded to Walter before checking the dice. One of them had only fives and the other solely twos. Heck, if he was going to win poker, he had to pick the game, and by rolling seven before each game, he could choose the type of poker to play. It never failed, and no one ever noticed.

Oscar took his seat at the poker table amidst groans and moans. He was a notoriously tough player to beat, and the men at the table were anxious, knowing they might lose their shirts once more. In fact, the only person not worried about losing a shirt a shirt was not wearing one. She was wearing a blue chiffon dress that fell to her knees and a determined look on her face.

"Can I play?" she asked, walking up to the table.

"Sure a dame like you can handle me?" Oscar asked.

"I'm not worried," she said with a hint of sass as she sat down across from Oscar.

"Go back on the stage, doll," said another player. "This is a man's game."

"Nah, Tom, let her stay. It'll make for good entertainment," Oscar said as he began to shake the dice. "What's your name, doll?"

"Jane Brown. I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Bogart, but not about your lack of manners," she said nonchalantly.

"Lack of manners? Girl, what are you talking about?"

"You're going to roll the dice without offering them to me. Ladies' first, remember?"

Oscar sighed to himself. If there was one thing he couldn't resist, it was a lovely lady. After all, weighing over three-hundred pounds pretty much killed his love life.Oscar had to take what he could buy or get, and right now, Jane beat both of those catergories. He relented and gave Miss Brown the dice, and she rolled a seven, much to her delight. She picked the game 'All for One', which included a round of betting. Oscar put down a few hundred notes, but Jane had her eye on something else.

"Mr. Bogart, can I look at that cane for a minute?" Jane asked.

"Sure," Oscar said as he passed her the cane.

"Nice handle. What is it supposed to be?"

"Two black and white striped snakes, crawling around each other."

"In other words, Capone and Moran in prison," said another of the poker players as Walter stopped by with the drinks.

"Kind of mean, don't you think?" Jane asked Oscar.

"Nah, Jim got it right. I'm waiting for those two to kill each other off." Oscar said, proudly puffing out his chest.

"Here he goes again," Walter said knowingly.

"Those two hooch makers are eventually going to off each other. When they do, someone will have to run Chicago, and it sure as hell won't be the cops," Oscar said as he took a sip of his drink.

"If I win this round of poker, I want the cane," Jane said.

"Come on, doll. You can have a night with me instead."

"Cane first."

"You're a feisty one," Oscar said as he grabbed the cane back. "Fine. The cane and a night with me, but only if you win."

"I don't want that prize if I win," said Jim as he took a swig of scotch.

"Shut up, Jim."

No more words were exchanged as the game began. The bets were on and Oscar played... well, just to play. Heck, he didn't mind losing his cane to Jane. He could probably get it back from her anyway. What was his main priority was having her win. In the end, Oscar got his way, as usual. Jane took the pile of money in the center of the table and reached for the cane.

"Uh, uh, uh. You forgot the second half of the prize," Oscar said.

"Well, what's a good day for you, Oscar? A busy man like you must have a lot business to take care of," Jane replied.

"You free on Halloween?"

"I can be for you."

"I'm folding," Tom said to Jim. "They're making me sick."

"Tell me about it," Jim replied as he and Tom got up and left.

"Looks like the games ended early," Oscar said. "No use in staying here if I can't play."

"Awwww, and we were having so much fun." Jane said as she reached for the cane once again.

"I'll bring the cane with me on Halloween."

"Works for me. Meet me outside this club at eleven."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, kitten," Oscar said as he got up, bowed to Jane slightly, and walked away from her.

"Leaving, Mr. Bogart? Already?" Walter asked as Oscar motioned for the doorman to get his coat.

"I won a better game than poker tonight, kid," Oscar said, nodding towards the poker table.

"What are you talking about?" Walter asked.

Oscar looked back at the table to see that Miss Brown was no longer there. She must have gone home, being that Oscar was leaving, taking the fun with him. Mr. Bogart shrugged to himself before putting on the coat and tipping Walter. Oscar walked out of the door, stepping towards his car when the tip of his cane picked something up, a piece of newspaper. He tried to shake it off, but he saw that it wasn't going to fall off alone.

With a sigh, Oscar lifted his cane and picked off the paper himself. He gave it an off-handed glance only to do a double take. The headline read _Bronzeville Baron_ _Oscar Bogart Missing; Presumed Dead_. Oscar nearly had a heart attack. When he breathed enough to calm down, he looked at the paper again to make sure he wasn't seeing things. This time, the headline was _Police Force Cracks Down on Bootleggers_.

"Damn, I'm going blind. Almost scared myself to death," Oscar said to himself as he dropped the paper back on the ground and continued to his car.

The Ford Model T sped away from the alley moments after Oscar's scare. He never saw the pale figure emerge from the shadows and pick up the newspaper, which now had its first headline. Oscar never saw Henry that night, not that he was meant to. They would meet again very, very soon, whether Oscar wanted to or not.

Present

Poor Oscar, blinded by his lecherousness. Had he only watched what he had said, his trouble would have ended that night. Of course, I don't control these things. If I did, I doubt I would have brought him to Halloween Town in the first place. It was better than he deserved, after wishing ill on others just as bad as he was. Well, he got what he deserved, and believe me, it wasn't good.

— Henry Cadaver


	5. Big Bag of Trouble

Author's Note: Time for Halloween Town to receive its resident rogue. So, how did Oscar Bogart become Oogie Boogie? Only one way to find out. But, once again, I must state that I had no part of The Nightmare Before Christmas. You can all thank Mr. Burton, Mr. Elfman, Disney, Touchstone Pictures for that. Gamers, if you wish, give props to Capcom for the continuation. The plot of this story is mine though, as is one of the stars and narrator, former Pumpkin King Henry Cadaver. He'll take things from here. (Re-edit comment: Coming up with this part was actually pretty fun. Not so much the demise as everything else.)

Now, if any of you are looking for a moral to Oscar's story, it is simply this: never, _ever_, double-cross people in power. They will find out, and they will get you. Besides, it's not a very honest thing to do. Power is not worth Oscar's fate, as you will see if you can bear to watch. Alas, it is rather tempting to become all-powerful, but it comes with much responsibility. Apparently, no one bothered to tell Oscar that before I officially met him.

— Henry Cadaver

October 31st, 1927

Where the hell was she? Oscar had been waiting in the alley since eight o'clock in the evening. Mr. Bogart impatiently tapped his cane over and over on the ground as he checked his pocket watch. Ten-thirty. Miss Brown had him waiting for two and a half hours. Oscar was beginning to think she ditched him. This didn't go over too well with the Bronzeville Baron.

"Lousy dame, think she can stand me up, _me_?" Oscar asked himself, catching a glimpse of trick-or-treaters stop by the front of the alley and look at him. "Get lost, you twerps."

Oscar shook his cane at them, scaring the kids away. He chuckled to himself a bit before noticing a feminine figure walk after the kids. Oscar would have ignored, but then he saw that her right leg stuck out from the corner, taunting him, daring him to come over. It was Jane.

"About time, kitten," Oscar said as he walked to the front of the alley and turned to the right.

"Sorry I'm late, Oscar. I've got to look my best for you, and that takes time, sugar," Jane said.

"Got any place in mind for your prize, Miss Brown?"

"The Navy Pier."

"Navy Pier? What's that?"

"Actually, it's the Municipal Pier. They changed the name not too long ago."

"Why the hell do you want to go there?"

"Come on, Oscar, what kind of girl do you think I am? I need to get to know you a little better before we get serious. You said I could spend a night with you, you didn't specify what we'd be doing," Jane said, crossing her arms and smiling victoriously.

"Damn. Alright, we'll go the pier. There better be booze, I'm telling you that right now," Oscar said as he led Jane towards his car.

"It's Chicago, Oscar. What place in this burg _wouldn't_ have booze?"

The drive to the pier was relatively short. Overlooking Lake Michigan, the Navy Pier would have been hard to miss anyway. Although competition from movie houses, clubs, and speakeasies was giving the community center a hard time, it was still a popular place to eat, drink, and be merry. Halloween was in full swing here, although, Jane seemed to go away from the festivities.

"Where are you going?" Oscar asked Jane as she made her way towards the lake. "The party's where the actual food stands are."

"Come on, Oscar. The lake looks great from back here," Jane's voice carried as she walked further and further away. "Look, we can rent a boat."

"Girl, I get seasick," Oscar said as he walked towards her, seeing that she was already walking into a boat.

"Come on. I'll make it worth your while," Jane said flirtatiously.

"Sure, doll. Just don't complain when I throw up on you."

Oscar walked up to Jane before hearing something drop. The platform that connected the boat to the pier had plunged into the lake. The boat was already being steered by someone, someone who wanted to get far away from prying eyes. This is when Oscar realized that he had been tricked.

"You bitch! What are you really planning?" Oscar yelled as he swung at Jane with his snake-handled cane, only to have it wrenched from his hands by a looming figure in a fedora and long coat.

"Right on time, Mr. Capone," Jane said to the figure who now held the cane.

"Capone? As in _Al _Capone?" Oscar asked, growing slightly pale.

"You know, Oscar, it's not nice to double-cross people who help you," said Mr. Capone.

"He called me a bitch, Al."

"He'll pay for it, Jane. Go downstairs and tell the boys to bring Oscar's going away present.

"Al, buddy, everything's good," Oscar started, nervously watching Jane disappear down the steps that led into the boat's main cabin. "Don't trust that chick, she's a liar."

"Please, Oscar. We're all grown men here. I know what you've been doing behind my back."

"Really?" Oscar asked as he gulped in fear.

"Jane isn't the only pair of eyes I have out on the streets looking at you," Al said as Jane returned from the cabin with Walter, Tom, and Jim, who were all carrying a very large burlap sack.

"You guys were in on this?" Oscar asked the doorman and pair of poker players.

"Why the hell else would we lose to _you_ almost every night?" Tom asked.

"So you want to rule the streets, Oscar? After Bugs and I kill each other off, right?" Al Capone asked in a sinister tone.

"Come on now, Al. It was a joke."

"You must have paid a lot of money to have that joke made into a silver grip for your fat-handling stick," Al pointed out as he looked closely at the cane.

"You can't disrespect me! I'm Oscar Bogart, the Bronzeville Baron!"

"_I_ made you the Bronzeville Baron. You owned Bronzeville because of me."

"Owned?" Oscar asked, feeling sick ad the boat stopped in the middle of the lake.

"Bronzeville is under new management," Al said as he motioned for Tom and Jim to open the burlap sack. "This is what you rule now."

Oscar looked into the bag and almost vomited at what he saw. It was half full of snakes, rats, insects, almost every kind of disgusting creature imaginable. He wondered why it was only half full. Then, he was pushed into the bag by Jane and Walter. He screamed as he was bitten by snakes and rats and clawed at the opened of the sack before it was drawn tightly closed.

"Looks like he didn't mind working for bugs until now," Jim said, making Mr. Capone chuckle.

"Good point, kid."

"Please! Let me out, I can't stand it!" Oscar yelled from the sack.

"You're nothing but a bug to me, Oscar. It's about time I squished you. Throw him over," Al Capone said to Jim, Tom, Walter, and Jane.

The four lifted the squirming bag of vermin and threw it into Lake Michigan. The boat sped back towards the pier as soon as the sack hit the water. As Oscar sank deeper and deeper in the lake, his began to lose consciousness. Some of those snakes must have been poisonous, for he could no longer really see well or hear anything. Soon enough, water filled his lungs as he sank deeper and deeper, until Oscar Bogart breathed no more.

Suddenly, the burlap sack seemed to be going upwards. Oscar's soul didn't notice it, but Henry Cadaver was dragging the burlap sack back to the surface, albeit a completely different surface than Chicago. As he kicked upwards, Henry could make out a small, circular opening. It would be difficult to pull Oscar through, but he had to do it. Henry paddled harder and harder, until his head went above the water, and he looked at his surroundings.

All of Halloween Town had gathered around this well. Henry had dived into it no less than an hour ago and had just returned. Quickly, the Mayor ran over to the well and extended his right arm to Henry. The Pumpkin King got most of himself out just fine. However, he seemed to be holding on to something in the well.

"Henry, dry yourself off first," the Mayor said in a worried tone.

"Don't worry, I can't exactly catch my death of cold," Henry replied as he pulled at what appeared to be a large piece of burlap.

"Ha, good one," the Mayor said, face turning around to she the change in his mood.

"Can I go back in yet?" asked the fish woman who usually resided in the well.

"In a minute," Henry said as he pulled and pulled until the burlap he was pulling at practically flew out of the well and landed on the ground.

It was one of the strangest things Halloween Town had ever seen, and that was a great accomplishment. Henry had brought a massive burlap man from the Real World. He had nubby arms and legs, if one could call them by those names. The top of his head ended in that way as well. As for his mouth, it was a wide open black hole with a snake tongue hanging out of it. When he opened his eyes, he sat straight up and looked around. He was as confused as everyone else, that was for sure.

"Capone? Get your cowardly ass back here!" he yelled as he got up.

"Sir, mind your manners," Henry said to the burlap man as the rest of Halloween Town stood in shock.

"Who the hell are you? You look dead."

"That's because I am dead."

"AHHH!"

"So are you."

"I am not! No one kills, uh... hmmmm... Hey, Dead Boy, do you know who I am?"

"Yes, but it's better if you remember yourself," Henry said. "At least you know who Capone is."

"All I know is that he has a cowardly ass. Help me out here, Dead Boy."

"My name is Henry Cadaver."

"Yeah, yeah. Who cares?" asked the burlap sack man.

"They do. I'm their Pumpkin King," Henry said as he looked towards the Halloween Townsfolk.

"Big whoop. Screw this, I'm out of here."

"Maybe you should let him leave, Henry," the Mayor whispered to the Pumpkin King.

"I can't, Mayor. He's one of us now, no matter how annoying."

"I heard that, Dead Boy. Wanna start something?" asked the thing formerly known as Oscar Bogart as he shook his right arm at Henry, who pulled a loose string on the hem holding it together.

Some insects fell from the newly formed hole as the burlap creature screamed in pain. He drew his arm back to himself and nursed it as if it was broken. He gave Henry a dirty look before backing away from him slowly. Henry Cadaver was no one to mess with, and the new member of Halloween Town learned that the hard way.

"Now that I have your attention, I have to properly welcome you to your new home. This is Halloween Town, where the odd and spooky are celebrated every day of the year. You are our new boogie man."

"Boogie man? What do I do?"

"You scare people, cast your shadow over figures trembling in fear. Though, by your girth, you can probably cast a shadow on the moon."

"And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Please refrain from cursing, or I'll have to undo your other arm."

"He'll do it too," the Mayor said, beaming at Henry.

"Do I have a name?" the burlap manasked the Pumpkin King, who shook his head.

"It's better if you remember it yourself."

"All I remember besides Capone is Oogie Boogie. Kind of fits, since I'm the boogie man now."

"If it works for you, you can keep it," Henry said.

"Works for me. Now, who wants to sew up my arm?" the newly named Oogie Boogie asked.

A pair of witch sisters volunteered and took Oogie to their house to fix him up. Soon enough, the crowd of townspeople thinned until only Henry and the Mayor were left at the fountain in the center of the square. The Mayor's face switched to a grim mood as he looked into the green water of the fountain. He didn't like Oogie Boogie, not one bit.

"Henry, are you sure he has to stay here?" the Mayor asked.

"I get my orders from higher up, and they specified that he be brought here," Henry said.

"He's not going to replace you one day, is he?"

"Oh, no. It's going to be a while before I find a worthy heir. Unless you want to volunteer, that is."

"No thanks," the Mayor said. "I don't trust my decisions all that much."

"I understand," Henry sighed. "Let's call it a night, Mayor. Something tells me we'll need all of our energy to put up with Oogie Boogie tomorrow."

Present

In his life, Oscar Bogart was a philandering turncoat who was little more than a coward on the inside. In his after life, well... he didn't change all that much. The Mayor and I were the only ones patient enough to put up with him on a day-to-day basis. Luckily for us, help was on the way. Of course, that was bad news for the one who would provide it- Doctor Frederick Finkel.

— Henry Cadaver


	6. Unexpected Visitors

Author's Note: Glad you all are enjoying the origins so far. Up next we have Doctor Frederick Finkel, but we know him as crotchety old Doctor Finkelstein. Doctor Finkelstein was just one of the characters in The Nightmare Before Christmas. This isn't originally where he or any of the other characters came from. It'd be cool if they did, but they didn't. Well, Henry, on with the tale. (Re-edit comment: How cool that one of you readers knew of someone from Freiburg. Very neat.)

Germany during the late 1930's was not the place to be. I knew it, and so did Doctor Finkel. He was going to leave his beloved Freiburg, just not the way he planned. Not if I had anything to do with it. Poor man, just when he thought he found at least one other person he could talk to, everything came crashing down. I wish I could have planned these soul collections better. Unfortunately, that's not my department.

— Henry Cadaver

October 26th, 1938

Why did Freiburg have to be so close to peace yet so far? It was right near the border of Germany and Switzerland. Of course, it had to be on the side of the country that had fallen into economic despair and was only bouncing back because of a maniacal dictator. Ach. Doctor Finkel was starting to work himself up again. The doctor sighed to himself as he looked out of the window in his study at the medieval buildings surrounding his own home, which on the outside appeared as old as the other buildings but in reality was home to a modern lab. The doctor then looked to a picture of his departed wife, Helene, and sighed once more.

"Helene, my precious jewel," Frederick said as his wrinkled hands traced her outline. "At least you are not around to see this madness." he said before the phone on the desk rang. "Hello?" the doctor asked, picking it up.

"Doctor Frederick Finkel?"asked the voice on the line, that of a nervous young man.

"Johann. I've been waiting for you. Have you arranged a ride for me?"

"Ja. There will be a caravan of autos heading into Freiburg on the thirty-first. I've informed them of your interest in Switzerland."

"Danke, Johann. Are you leaving Berlin soon?"

"When I get the chance. I've already stopped attending classes at the university. The program's become propaganda anyway," Johann complained.

"Such a shame brains like yours have to be wasted in these times. No pupil of mine is going to stay in Berlin while this goes on, do you hear me?" Doctor Finkel asked, which sounded more like an order.

"Ja. I'll probably be on that caravan when it passes through Freiburg, don't worry."

"Bring your science books. I'm going to enroll you in a Swiss school the first chance I get."

"Ja, ja."

"Don't you ja, ja me, boy. Helene and I raised you off of the streets to be a science prodigy and you were doing splendid until the Nazis took over."

"Watch your blood pressure, Papa Finkel. You sound upset."

"I've much to be upset about, my boy," Frederick sighed into the phone before he heard a knock at the door. "I have company, Johann. I'll have to be leaving."

"Ja, Papa," Johann said. "Watch your blood pressure. Lebe wohl."

"Good-bye to you too, Johann," the doctor replied before hanging up the phone.

Doctor Finkel got up, feeling some of his bones crack as he did so. Barely sixty-five and he was already turning into dust. Even if he was an old coot, he had to look presentable to whomever was knocking at his door. The doctor examined his appearance in a hallway mirror on the way to the door. None of his remaining white hair was out of place, and no stubble had appeared on his chin yet. There were no stains of chemicals on his lab coat, at least none he could make out through his safety goggles. The doctor took them off and saw that his coat was perfectly fine, rubbed his blue eyes as they adjusted themselves to the light, and finally opened the door.

On the other side of the door stood a young woman. She looked to be no older than twenty-five and in a state of dishevelment; her brown hair was tangled, her skin pale, what appeared to be her clothing in tatters. Frederick noticed something on her overcoat that struck him as odd. There was a yellow, six-pointed star patch sewn onto her jacket, which she tried to hide with her right hand. Frederick didn't think twice about hurrying the girl inside his home before locking the door.

"Where did you come from?" the doctor asked the young woman.

"Danke sehr, mein Herr," she replied, tears beginning to form in her brown eyes.

"Don't thank me yet, Fraulein. You've come at a bad time."

"Please, don't send me back out there," she said. "I've come a long way, from Berlin."

"You're from Berlin? I have a student of mine there on his way here. He's taking me away from Freiburg to Switzerland in a few days time. I can have you stay here until then."

"Mein Herr, I have to go with you," said the stranger.

"Fraulein, I don't even know your name. Why would I take you on a caravan to freedom? You could be a Nazi spy for all I know."

"Nein. I am not a spy. Please, mein Herr, you have to take me with you. You're the only one who has opened a door to me, looked at me like a human being during my travel from Berlin. If you won't save me, then you must save her," the woman said, firmly placing a hand on her stomach.

That was when doctor Finkel realized how desperate this young woman was; she was pregnant. She looked around four, maybe five months along, enough to begin showing. The doctor couldn't turn her away now. He sighed and led her into his study, where he sat her down next to a radio and got the girl some water. If he was going to take her under his care, doctor Finkel had to get to know her a little better.

"What is your name, Fraulein?" Doctor Finkel asked, sitting in a chair across from the young woman.

"Eva Stein," she replied before sipping some water. "Danke."

"You're too kind to be thanking me so much."

"I'm sorry, but I'm just glad I have someone to talk to again."

"Again? What has happened to you?"

"My husband, Wilhelm, was taken away by... _them_. They came in the middle of the night. Wilhelm snuck me out of the house and told me to head to Switzerland. His grandfather lives in Geneva, he said the baby and I would be safe there. Ever since then I've been sleeping and eating where I can. People don't look me in the eye anymore, and I have to hide in the shadows, or else they'll get me too."

"May I place my hand on your stomach for a moment?"

"Why?" Eva asked as the doctor put his hand on the fabric over her stomach.

"The baby's still kicking, strong too. That's a good sign," Doctor Finkel said as he took his hand back.

"My poor little Linda. That's what I'm going to name her, once she's born. Poor child's been through so much trouble already. Ach, it's all my fault."

"For what, having different beliefs? Eva, if I may call you Eva, you've done nothing wrong. Our country has been through tough times, with the Great War and its fallout. Things are getting worse and I'm getting too old to deal with them. You, my dear, are in a very sensitive state right now, and I think it best you come along with me. No good can come for you if you stay here."

"So you do trust me now?"

"Eva, I'm an old codger. I don't trust anyone. I do follow my instincts, however, and they tell me you are a good person in need of help. I'm sure Johann won't mind."

"Johann? Is that your student, mein Herr?"

"Yes. My wife Helene and I came across the boy trying to pick our pockets when he was six. We took the little street urchin in and made him into a scholar. He's the closest thing I have to family."

"What happened to Helene?" Eva asked before blushing. "I'm sorry, mein Herr. It's a personal question. I must be wearing out my welcome."

"Now, now, no need to fret. Helene died two years ago. She was my precious jewel, beautiful to gaze upon and tougher than anything. She probably would have made me leave Freiburg sooner if she were still alive. Helene would have succeeded too," Doctor Finkel said with a slight grin before a noise came from the front door again, this time of something being dropped on the floor. "Ah, the post must have come through the slot, I'll go fetch it."

"Nein, I'll get it for you. It is the least I can do," Eva said as she got up and walked to the front door.

"Danke," the doctor said.

It was strange, having a woman in the house again. Frederick felt oddly calm about it too. Here was a pregnant fugitive on the run from the government and the man housing her wasn't even breaking a sweat. Doctor Finkel figured he was getting too old to worry about such things and focused on the radio. The "leader" was spewing out more nonsense to anyone who would listen, which did not include Doctor Finkel. He turned the radio off and looked out the window once more, only the radio didn't remain turned off.

"Many apologies for interrupting this speech, but I have a special announcement," said an unfamiliar, male voice on the radio.

"Stupid thing. Knob must be broken," Doctor Finkel said.

"No, Doctor Finkel. The knob isn't broken," the voice on the radio said.

"WHAT?" exclaimed the doctor.

"You're not going insane either."

"Who is this?"

"A friendly warning from a future acquaintance. Doctor Frederick Finkel, I wish you good luck on your journey, though, it will be quite different than the one you expect to take."

"What do you mean?" the doctor asked the radio as he scratched his head in a confused manner.

"I cannot say."

"Ach! This is nonsense!"

"It will be made quite clear to you in five days' time. The border you cross will not be that of war and peace, but of life and death."

"I am not going to let an inanimate object drive me mad!" the doctor yelled before clutching his chest.

"Mein Herr!" Eva exclaimed, rushing over to the study with the mail in her hands. "What is the matter?"

"Do you not hear the radio?" Doctor Finkel asked.

"It is off, mein Herr. See? The light is off. Here is your mail."

"Danke, Eva." the doctor said. "If it wouldn't trouble you, please refrain from turning on the radio again."

"Ja, mein Herr. There is nothing good to listen to anymore in the first place, if I can be allowed to say so."

"No, Eva. You're absolutely right," the doctor said before looking through his mail, catching Eva yawn out of the corner of his eyes. "You look tired, Fraulein. Go on upstairs. There should be a guest room the second door to your left."

"Danke, mein Herr. It's been a while since I've had a bed to lie on. I won't be able to repay your hospitality yet, but I will when I get the chance," Eva said, blushing before slowly walking out of the study.

"Don't worry, Fraulein," the doctor said before instinctively turning on the radio again.

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it only brought static to Frederick's ears. Whatever was on the radio before was gone. That was a relief. Frederick figured he was only hearing things and turned the radio off again before going back to his mail. Hey, the letters weren't going to open themselves.

Present

I take full blame for nearly scaring the scientist into an early grave that day. I am glad Eva managed to interrupt before I brought Doctor Finkelstein to Halloween Town prematurely. As one can see, Pumpkin Kings have always been prone to being a bit over dramatic at times. Besides, there really wasn't anything good to listen to on the radio, only propaganda. In the end, I did Frederick Finkel a favor. At least he had a somewhat subconscious idea of what was to come, and that is much better than ignorance.

— Henry Cadaver


	7. Willkommen, Doctor Finkelstein

Author's Note: Wow, you all sure know how to make an author feel loved. Of course, I'm not deserving of all this good response. That belongs to the original minds behind The Nightmare Before Christmas. I'm talking about Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, the overlooked (sorry!) Henry Selick who directed the film and who I will kick myself over for not mentioning previously, Disney and Touchstone Pictures, and Capcom. Those people deserve much love. However, I appreciate all of your patronage, I really do. It makes me hyper update, and that is good. I'd say more, but I just really want to start the chapter now, mmmkay? (Re-edit Comment: I still can't believe I only remembered to starts giving Henry Slick credit at this point. Whoa.)

I'm quite sure all of you know what transpired in as most of the world's powers entered another war. There are horrors that took place that could never have happened in the land of Halloween itself. Unfortunately for Doctor Finkel, he was one of many victims in the war to come. Once again, I must warn of the gruesome death to come. Read on, if you dare to find out the truth behind Doctor Finkelstein's demise.

— Henry Cadaver

October 31st, 1938

Frederick and Eva hardly spoke to each other during that day. It wasn't that they were quarreling, not at all. They were just nervous. The pair had been packing what they could stuff into carry-on trunks and looking out the windows for a parade of cars to come their way. Nothing was out of the ordinary during the day. It was sunset when there was really any action.

The pair could hear cars coming down the main street. Frederick quickly made his way to the front door with his trunk and Eva's, holding the door for his companion as she looked towards them. The leading auto was a pickup truck. One person out of many sitting in its bed stood up and waved to Frederick and Eva. It had to be Johann. He directed the parade up to the scientist's house. When he jumped to the ground, his blonde hair glistened in the sun's remaining rays. The boy's hazel eyes shone with warmth as he approached Doctor Finkel.

"Hello, Papa!" Johann exclaimed as he hugged his adoptive father.

"Hello, my boy," Doctor Finkel said, patting Johann on the back. "How has the trip been so far?"

"Wunderbar, Papa Finkel. All we do is pick people up. They all want freedom too."

"Speaking of freedom, I have a guest coming with me who also wants it," Doctor Finkel said as he broke the hug and nodded towards a bashful Eva. "Don't be shy, Eva."

"Hello, Herr Johann," Eva said as she approached the merry college student.

"Nein. Just call me Johann, Eva. We're friends now."

"Even if I'm a Jew?"

"Especially if you're a Jew. We're not going to let anything happen to you." Johann said comfortingly before turning to the rest of the cars, "Are we?"

The people in the cars responded with a loud 'Nein'. Without a second thought, Eva hugged Johann. Doctor Finkel sighed to himself before throwing his trunk onto the pickup truck's bed and then lifting himself onto it. Eva and Johann soon followed with Eva's trunk. With one last look at his home, Frederick signaled to Johann that he was ready to leave. Johann whistled to the driver and the car sped off deeper into the Black Forest, followed by the rest of the caravan. In a matter of a couple of hours, they would be safe in Switzerland and free from the Nazis.

"I never thought I'd make a new beginning at this age," Doctor Finkel said to Johann.

"Ja, you always were stubborn," Johann said.

"Wretched boy," Doctor Finkel replied.

"Just telling the truth, like you taught me to do."

"At least you retained that. Did you bring the science books like I asked?"

"They're in my bag."

"Good," Doctor Finkel said before turning to Eva. "Feeling well, Fraulein?"

"Just a bit sick, but I've grown accustomed to that by now," Eva replied, nodding her head slowly.

"Is that healthy?" Johann asked.

"It is for a pregnant woman," Doctor Finkel said. "At least we know your child is alright."

"Die Gratulation, Fraulein," Johann said. "I wouldn't mind having children of my own one day."

"Danke, Johann. I only wish Wilhelm was here."

"Wilhelm?"

"My husband. He didn't make it with me to Freiburg."

"I'm sorry."

"Curiosity killed the cat, Johann," Doctor Finkel warned his boy.

"Ja. I know, Papa. Finkel."

"Don't scold him, mein Herr," Eva said to the doctor. "I brought it up."

"No need to start arguing. We're starting a whole new life," Johann said with a wide smile, taking a book out of his bag. "Where do you want to stop Eva? Papa?"

"I'm going to Geneva to stay with Wilhelm's father," Eva said. "Where _are_ you headed, Herr Finkel?"

"To Bern. Albert kept a lab there until he moved to the United States. I hope I can use it once Johann and I get there."

"Albert, mein Herr?"

"Albert Einstein. He left a few years ago. I should've gone with him," Doctor Finkel sighed before looking over to Johann, who was reading a science book. "Johann here is going to enroll in the university and become valedictorian."

"Ach, Papa!" Johann exclaimed, looking up from the book. "You expect too much from me."

"I've seen your progress reports, boy. You've done well so far. Just stay away from temptation."

"Papa, not in front of die Mutter!"

"I'm not a mother yet, Johann," Eva said as the pickup stopped suddenly.

"Was zum Teufel?" Johann asked before crawling towards the driver.

"Watch your mouth!" Doctor Finkel said.

"Why have we stopped?" Johann asked the driver.

"We've got company," the driver said, nodding to the area in front.

Johann looked forward and gasped. There was a roadblock across the path. He could make out who had put it there by the symbols on the trucks. The Nazis must have gotten word of their little freedom train and decided to put a stop to it. Johann quickly moved back to Doctor Finkel and Eva and told them what he saw. Before they could come up with any plan, the back of the pickup truck was visited by an officer from the road block.

"Well, if it isn't Doctor Finkel of Freiburg. Why haven't you replied to der Fuhrer?" he asked, looking down at the trio, sneering at them. "We've been sending mail for weeks. We thought we would have to break into your house to get an answer from you."

"I did. I sent a letter stating that I wasn't joining the scientific team at Auschwitz months ago."

"That is not the correct answer."

"It is for me. I know what you do to those poor people. It's sick," the doctor said in a stern tone.

"People? They can hardly be called _people_. More like inferior beings," the officer said, looking straight at Eva. "Fraulein, why do you frown so?"

"My husband is one of those inferior beings," Eva said, eyes squared in fury.

"Is he here with you?"

"Nein."

"Then you should say _was_. He is surely dead by now. Don't cry, Fraulein. You'll be joining him soon enough."

"No she won't!" Johann exclaimed before swinging his bag right into the officer's face, knocking him down. "We have to make a run for it," he said to Eva and Frederick, "The border's few hours away on foot, but we can lose them in the forest."

"You two go ahead," Doctor Finkel said, throwing Eva's trunk to the ground.

"What about you, mein Herr?" Eva asked.

"I've lived long enough."

"Papa, are you serious?"

"Johann, stop wasting time and get this girl to Geneva. The Nazis have been looking for me to perform experiments on prisoners. If I travel with you, they'll find all three of us and kill us. You have a better chance without me. Hurry, before they figure out you knocked out their commanding officer."

"Ich liebe dich, Papa Finkel," Johann said as he hugged his father for what would most certainly be the last time. "I'll make you proud, I promise."

"Go. Good luck to the both of you."

Johann let go of Doctor Finkel and jumped to the ground with Eva's trunk. Eva hugged the doctor goodbye before making her way down as well. Frederick watched them sneak off into the woods until they were cloaked in darkness and trees. They had left just in time too, for not two minutes after the pair vanished, officers surrounded the caravan. They beat and murdered those who were part of it, and left Doctor Finkel for last.

"Who were the people with you?" asked one officer.

"I only met them today," Doctor Finkel said, earning him a slap on the right cheek..

"Tell us the truth." said another officer, pointing a gun at the doctor's legs.

"Go ahead, shoot me. I'm old, I'm not going to be using those for much longer anyway."

"Suit yourself, Herr Finkel," the gun holding officer said before shooting out each of the doctor's kneecaps, not even flinching as the man screamed in pain.

"A minor setback," the doctor said, biting his lower lip and holding back tears.

"We'll find them, with or without you." said the first officer.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

"Your mind is too precious to waste for that girl and her companion."

"I've made my choice. I will never help you or your insane leader. I'd rather die."

"Is that so? Give the old man his wish," the first officer said to the one with the gun.

"Ja. Auf Wiedersehen, Herr Finkel." the second officer said as he put the gun to the doctor's forehead and pulled the trigger.

The gunshot scared off the remaining birds in the forest. They never saw the Nazis leave the carnage behind them. They never noticed the walking corpse approach the still body of the murdered scientist and pull his soul out of the remains. That event was never meant for mortal eyes to see. Henry was about to walk deeper into the forest when he noticed the soul wasn't following him. It sat on the ground next to the dead body, unable or unwilling to move.

"Is something wrong?" Henry asked the soul.

"I can't feel my legs." the soul said.

"Can you move them at all."

"No. Look at them, just lying there. Useless."

"I'll carry you then," Henry said as he picked up the soul.

"Who are you? You sound familiar," the soul said.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you all about myself when we get home."

"Where do we live?"

"Halloween Town."

"My head hurts," the soul said, changing the subject.

"You'll feel better soon enough," Henry said, noticing how the doctor was beginning to take on his new form.

From that point on, they were silent. Henry eventually found the clearing of trees and managed to open the door to Halloween Town without dropping the new resident. As he traveled onward into town, he was met by the Mayor, who had a grim look on his face. Uh-oh. Oogie Boogie must have been up to something.

"Henry! Oh, thank goodness. Oogie's been bothering people the whole time you've been gone," the Mayor said.

"Why haven't you done anything about him?" Henry asked, slightly irritated.

"He doesn't listen to me, and frankly, he scares me."

"Alright. Do me a favor and look after him while I take care of Oogie," Henry said, gently sitting the doctor on the ground before running towards the Town Hall.

"Hello. Welcome to Halloween Town," the Mayor said, switching his mood to help the guest feel welcome. "What's your name?"

"I'm not sure," the man said, absentmindedly scratching his large head before noticing it could open. "Could I always do this?" he asked the Mayor.

"I don't know. We just met."

"Hmmm," the man said to himself as he opened his head and picked at his brain. "Let's see. I'm a doctor, that's for sure. Doctor... Finkel. No, wait... Doctor Finkel... Stein. I'm Doctor Finkelstein."

"I'm the Mayor. Nice to meet you, Doctor Finkelstein."

"Thank you. You wouldn't happen to have a lab here, would you?"

"As a matter of fact, Henry was working on one a while before you came. He said you'd want one."

"Good. I'm going to have to build myself a way to get around. My legs are paralyzed for some reason," Doctor Finkelstein said before catching a glimpse of Oogie Boogie coming towards him and the Mayor.

"Oogie! I'm the Pumpkin King, you face me when I'm speaking to you!" Henry yelled, following the boogie man.

"Or what? You'll kill me? Already dead," Oogie said to Henry before seeing Doctor Finkelstein. "Who's this, another addition to the freak show?"

"You keep your opinions to yourself," Doctor Finkelstein said, crossing his arms. "You can call me Doctor Finkelstein."

"Old geezer doesn't know his place," Oogie Boogie said. "Check it out, his head opens up," the boogie man said as he tried to touch the scientist's brain.

"That belongs to me. Hands off!" Doctor Finkelstein exclaimed, slamming the lid of his head on the tip of Oogie's right arm.

"AHHH!" Oogie Boogie exclaimed, taking his right arm close to himself and sneering at the doctor.

"Perhaps that will teach you some manners, you obese ill-mannered sack of vermin," Henry said.

"That geezer doesn't scare me."

"Geezer? This _geezer_ can invent all kinds of torture devices to test on such a bright subject such as yourself," Doctor Finkelstein said to a nervous looking Oogie Boogie. "Unless you can stay on my good side, that is."

"Yeah, sure. Lousy old coot," Oogie Boogie said to himself as he walked away, muttering even more.

"Thank you," Henry said to Doctor Finkelstein.

"No problem at all. Just get me off of the ground."

"Of course. Let's take him to the lab, Mayor."

"Sure, Henry," the Mayor said as he propped the doctor up on his shoulder, "Did you really mean all that you said about torture devices?"

"No. But it's good to see someone that obnoxious so scared."

"Well played. I think you're going to fit in here just fine, Doctor Finkelstein." Henry said as the three walked to the doctor's new home.

Present

Having the doctor in town curbed Oogie Boogie, for a little while anyway. He was truly scared of the scientist. That is, until three little henchmen came along and started doing his dirty work for him. I should have known Louis, Shirley, and Barry would be attracted to him. I also should have taken precautions against their little union. Alas, what's done is done. Now, all I can really do is tell their story.

— Henry Cadaver


	8. Sticking Together

Author's Note: It's great to hear so much feedback. Now, I know some have been waiting for this next chapter for a while, so I've decided to be nice and hyper update. First off, I have to give thanks to Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, Henry Selick, Disney and Touchstone Pictures, and Capcom for their parts in The Nightmare Before Christmas and its upcoming game sequel. Without them, none of this story would have been written. And they are the real people behind the movie we love and obsess over at times. Now, it's Henry's turn to talk. (Re-edit Comment: I loved writing for the Terrible Trio in these chapters. Kids make great characters, so mean and innocent at the same time.)

Let me start by saying that Louis, Shirley, and Barry meant well. They just had a mischief streak that went wild. Who could blame them? They were three rambunctious children in a stuffy orphanage, _someone_ had to have a little fun. I must sound like a father trying to explain his horribly behaved children. I guess I am, in a way. I just want to believe there is some good in them, there has to be.

— Henry Cadaver

October 29th, 1956

The sun rose on Saint Jerome's Home for Boys and Girls as one little auburn-haired boy, no older than eight, stretched and rubbed his eyes when the light hit his face. He suddenly sat right up and turned to the calendar on his night stand. He crossed out the Monday, October 29th with a pencil before jumping out of bed and taking in the light. One day closer to Halloween! He couldn't wait. He just had to tell his friend, even if he was the type to sleep in.

"Barry," the boy said, shaking a figured covered from head to toe in blankets on a bed next to his. "Hey, Barry."

"What?" Barry groaned from underneath the covers.

"It's the 29th. Another day before Halloween."

"I can count, Louis. I'm not _that _stupid."

"Yeah you are."

"Nuh-uh," said Barry, uncovering his face to reveal ruffled blonde hair and squinting eyes. "What time is it?"

"Who cares? Let's go wake Shirley up."

"The Sisters won't like that."

"The heck with the Sisters!" Louis exclaimed before quieting himself. "Shirley said she knows where they're hiding all the Halloween candy."

"Really?" Barry asked, finally sitting up in his bed.

"Yeah. Come on. We can sneak in and out of the Girls' Room and find it."

"Ok," Barry said as he got up and quietly followed Louis out of the Boys' Room.

The halls of the orphanage were very still and quiet, almost scary. Saint Jerome's used to be a convent before it was an orphanage, and the older kids used to say the ghosts of dead Sisters roamed the halls and took bad children who wandered out of their rooms to the bad place down below. Not that Louis or Barry believed in that mumbo jumbo. They were on business. Still, the slightest noise sometimes sent Barry right to Louis' right arm.

"What was that?" Barry asked when he heard a creak.

"Probably just your imagination," Louis said as a shadow began to loom over him. "Uh-oh."

"Aren't we the early birds?" asked a matronly female voice, which belonged to a heavyset nun who towered over the pair and looked down on them in a mix of caring and strictness.

"Good Morning, Sister Abigail," Louis and Barry said, bowing their heads.

"Looking for her?" Sister Abigail asked as he moved over to the side, revealing a black-haired girl with a sour look on her face.

"Hey, Shirley," Louis said.

"You got caught too?" Barry asked.

"She most certainly did. I don't know what I am going to do with you three," Sister Abigail sighed. "Well, since you're up so early, you can do some chores. Start with scrubbing the kitchen floor. Buckets and sponges are in the closet next to the pantry."

The nun led them down to the kitchen and made sure they took sponges and filled the buckets with water and soap. She left when she saw them begin scrubbing. They continued doing so for about two minutes after she left. After that, they left the sponges and buckets on the floor and resumed their first mission.

"Those Sisters can come out of nowhere," Shirley complained. "It really bugs me."

"What about the candy?" Barry asked. "Don't you know where it is?"

"Yeah, but it's a secret."

"Come on! We're friends, you can tell us." Louis said.

"You know the closet in Sister Abigail's room? I was dusting around in there and opened the door. I saw a whole lot of candy in there."

"Oh man, Sister Abigail's room?" Barry asked. "I'd rather pick it out of the toilet."

"Me too." Louis said, shuddering.

"If we all sneak in there on Halloween morning, we can have it all to ourselves," Shirley said.

"How are we gonna do that?" Barry asked.

"We've gotta play the biggest prank we possibly can." Shirley said with a proud look in her face.

"Like what?" Louis asked.

"Maybe let in a whole bunch of rats or bugs. Everyone would go nuts over that, too nuts to notice the candy's missing." Barry said

"Ew, if that's it then you guys can take care of it," Shirley said.

"Nope. We're in this together," Louis said. "How about hiding all of the Sisters' habits?"

"I don't think they ever take them off," Shirley said.

"Yeah. That's kinda scary," Barry added.

"Well, how about-" Louis started before the trio heard footsteps coming their way.

They immediately began scrubbing the floor again. Sister Abigail saw that they looked busy, but not exactly scrubbing the floor. She stayed with them until it was spotless from that point on. By the time they were finished, the three had to change into their regular, donated clothes and sit down to breakfast with the older and younger kids. When that was done, it was time for math and reading, which none of the three particularly excelled at. They basically stuck through it until free time, where they plopped down in front of the television.

"Anything good on?" Shirley asked.

"Static, static, and static," Louis asked as he kept turning the knob.

"This bites," Barry said.

"Sure does," Louis replied before hearing voices from Sister Abigail's office. "She's sure talking someone's ear off.

"Let's check it out," Shirley said. "It's not like there's anything better to do."

The boys followed Shirley to the closed door. They all managed to find space to put their ears and remained as quiet as they possibly could to hears what was going on. Apparently, Sister Abigail was talking to Evelyn. She was a girl from Boston training to be a Sister one day. Sister Abigail seemed to have found something unspiritual in Evelyn's room, and she wasn't happy about that.

"Evelyn, please explain why you have photographs of Elvis Presley inside your Bible," Sister Abigail said in a tone trying to contain her patience.

"I'm sorry, Sister. He is just ever so dreamy," Evelyn's voice said.

"Evelyn, you are twenty years old and obviously lacking in the discipline it takes to join the Sisterhood. Perhaps this was a mistake for you."

"No, Sister Abigail. I never so much as looked at a man before he came along."

"Be that as it may, you are still young. You have time to settle down with a good man and have children."

"But I don't want to settle down, and it's looked down upon for women to live alone if they are not Sisters."

"Your heart is in the right place, Evelyn, but I'm not so sure you can handle the discipline," Sister Abigail said before her phone rang, "Hello?" the nun asked.

"Aw man, just as that goody goody was getting chewed out," Barry said with a 'shhh' from Shirley and Louis, "Sorry."

"Yes, Mr. Carmichael. That is good news. Very good news. I'll have them ready by the weekend," Sister Abigail finished as she hung up the phone. "Evelyn, the adoptions have been finalized."

"Really? Whose adoptions?" Evelyn asked.

"Why, Louis, Shirley, and Barry's," Sister Abigail said, causing the three on the other side of the door to gasp. "Mr. Carmichael found three good homes for them. I didn't think they had a chance in the world, much less Massachusetts, but they did."

"Are they all going to the same home?" Evelyn asked.

"Well, no. Mr. Carmichael said they would be scattered over the Northeast. Well, better to separate them while they're young and able to make new friends quickly. I can't believe all of them got adopted, the whole lock, shock, and barrel."

"Sister Abigail? I believe the term is lock, stock, and barrel. Not shock."

"Oh. Well, of course. What was I thinking?"

That was enough of the conversation for the three children. They walked over to the front of the television set and plopped onto the floor once more. They were going to be separated by the weekend? Never to see each other again? This couldn't, no, this wouldn't happen! The Halloween candy was no longer the main mission of Louis, Shirley, and Barry anymore. It was sticking together.

"You guys bug me, but I'd get bored if you were gone," Shirley said to Louis and Barry.

"Same here," Barry said.

"Me too," Louis added. "Guys, let's run away."

"For real this time?" Barry asked.

"Yeah. We'll leave on Halloween," Louis replied.

"Sure that's a good idea, Louis?" Shirley asked.

"Yep. Up until then, let's put a tack on every chair Sister Abigail sits on, interrupt her in lessons, and make her life a living hell," Louis said, darkly.

"Wow, he's really serious this time, Barry said to Shirley, who only nodded in response.

Louis was going to say something else, had the television not shown something besides static. It looked to be one of those children's shows that were educational, only weirder. The star of this show was a man who appeared to be dead, some of his skin was missing on parts of his body and everything. The scenery around him was that of a graveyard, with a weird, spiral hill and a pumpkin patch in the background. That wasn't the scariest part though. It was what he said that really terrified Louis, Shirley, and Barry.

"Hello, children. I'm King Henry Cadaver. You don't know me yet, but you will. I've been looking all over the place just for you three. Yes, Louis, Shirley, Barry, I'm talking to you," he said, looking straight at the three through the television set.

"Change the channel, Barry," Louis said as he began to shiver.

"I'm not doing it," Barry said. "Go on, Shirley."

"Nuh-uh!" Shirley exclaimed.

"I'm on every channel, kids. I'm just letting you know that I'll be coming back for you very soon. I'm going to take you home. You'll love it. There'll be candy and fun every day of the year."

"What's the catch?" Louis asked the corpse on the television.

"What catch?" asked Evelyn as she walked out of the office. "Is something wrong, you three?"

Louis, Shirley, and Barry looked back to the television to see that there was only static. The corpse man, that Henry guy, was gone. That settled it. If they didn't run away, the friends would wither be separated into different homes or snatched by that dead man on tv. There was no point in telling Evelyn the truth, she'd never believe them anyway. The three just turned off the televison set and walked out of the room into the hallway to talk quietly.

"Was that a ghost?" Barry asked Louis and Shirley.

"I don't know, but I didn't like it," Shirley said.

"Me either," Louis said.

"We definitely have to get out of here," Shirley said to Louis.

"Yeah. We'll sneak off when the Sisters take us trick-or-treating," Louis said.

"Good idea," Barry agreed, nodding. "No one's ever gonna tear us apart."

"Got that right," Louis said. "Come on, let's put that tack on Sister Abigail's chair."

The trio agreed to that idea heartily as they walked to their collective classroom. As the day went on, the corpse man became a memory, but a scary one nonetheless. He was another reason that had to ditch Saint Jerome's and nothing more. They wouldn't let anything or anyone separate them for as long as they lived, dead guys included.

Present

Alright, I did give the kids quite a scare, but they handled it pretty well. They really do have something good in them, In spite of their arguing, Louis, Shirley, and Barry are loyal to one another. It is a loyalty that was strong in their lives and even stronger after their deaths.

— Henry Cadaver


	9. Halloween's Finest Trick or Treaters

Author's Note: Well, after this update, I'm going to rest up. Warp speed updating takes a lot out of me, let me tell ya. I'll also tell you that The Nightmare Before Christmas is a splendid work of film that I highly recommend viewing. Its creators are geniuses and I'm eternally grateful to the them giving me and so many others an outlet for creativity. Speaking of which, let's get this show on the road. (Re-edit Comment: Technically, it was Lock, Shock, Barrel, and the Bathtub that ended up in Halloween Town in this chapter. The Bathtub isn't really a character though, more of a vehicle.)

The death of a child is never an easy thing to face. The thought of three passing from one world into the next at the same time is almost unbearable. I'll understand if these final moments of Louis, Shirley, and Barrel's lives are too much for your eyes. They were almost too much for mine. Unfortunately, the past cannot be changed, and this is how they ended up under my care. Well, to be more precise, Oogie Boogie's care.

— Henry Cadaver

October 31st, 1956

Halloween Night had fallen on the small Massachusetts town of Hastings. Saint Jerome's Home for Boys and Girls seemed to be more of a home for ghosts and goblins, and any other costumes the kids could make. However, three were missing among the trick-or-treaters as they left the orphanage with Sister Abigail. Louis, Shirley, and Barry were punished for the night. Apparently, Sister Abigail had sat on one too many tacks, and decided to discipline the trio; she was sure it was alltheir doing. To be honest, it was, but that still didn't make things any better.

"What was the point of us making these stupid masks if we can't even use them?" Louis asked as he sat next to a window, glowering at passing trick-or-treaters and dropping his handmade devil's mask to the floor.

"You just had to put the tacks on the toilet seat, didn't you?" Barry asked Shirley as he tried to find something good to watch on the television set.

"That scream was worth it," Shirley said defensively as she tried on her witch mask before taking it off again. "Yeah, Louis. There really is no point."

"I threw mine out," Barry said as he gave up on the TV. "I got the skull all wrong anyway."

"When's dinner?" Louis asked, changing the subject.

"Beats me," Shirley replied. "Evelyn's in charge, and she's been in her room all night."

"Did she even put something in the oven?" Barry asked.

"Who knows?" Louis asked in return. "I wanna run away with a full belly, but that'll probably be ruined too."

"You know, I bet Sister Abigail still has some candy in her room," Shirley said, "and she's not here right now."

"Oh yeah! I forgot about that." Barry said. "Candy counts, right Louis?"

"Counts enough for me. Let's raid her closet," Louis said as he got up and stretched.

The trio laughed mischievously as they walked upstairs and snuck into Sister Abigail's room. They went straight to the closet, where they found a secret stash of candy. It was a kid's dream, one they were living out as they chomped on every piece of candy they could find. It wasn't long until their bellies were full, and the three were ready to hightail it out of Saint Jerome's. However, something seemed wrong with the air. Shirley sniffed it first, then Barry and Louis caught wind of it.

"I smell something," Shirley said.

"Me too," Louis added. "I think it's coming from downstairs."

"Think we should check it out?" Barry asked.

"I'm not going down there alone," Louis said.

"Fine, we'll go too," Shirley said as she pulled on a reluctant Barry's sleeve.

As quietly as they snuck into Sister Abigail's room, the trio snuck out. They didn't have to get far to find out what the smell was. There was smoke everywhere, and the closer they got to the stairs, the hotter they felt. No one had to tell them twice- Saint Jerome's had caught on fire. Had they been returning with the other trick-or-treaters, the trio would have celebrated. However, this was bad, very bad.

"We have to get Evelyn!" Shirley exclaimed. "Follow me, I know where she sleeps."

"She'd better get us out of here," Louis said.

"Wait for me guys!" Barry yelled as he ran behind them.

It took a few seconds to find Evelyn's room. When they burst in, Evelyn had been listening to an Elvis record at full blast and smoking a cigarette. She was definitely not the goody goody the trio thought she was, not that Evelyn's hidden habits mattered at the moment. One thing was certain, she didn't like being caught.

"Children, remember to knock when you find closed doors," Evelyn said, scrambling to turn off the record player and extinguish her cigarette.

"Evelyn, did you start dinner?" Shirley asked.

"Yes. Why?" the nun in training asked before the smell reached her nose. "Oh no! I completely forgot about the chicken!"

"That's not even the worst part," Louis said as Evelyn ran to the doorway.

"We have to get out of here," Evelyn said nervously as the flames began to sweep over the staircase.

"We can't, Evelyn. The fire's probably in front of the door by now," Barry said.

"We can jump out my window," Evelyn said as she ran to the window and gulped. "Well, the fall's too large for you children, but I can make it and call for help. You three, go into my bathroom and wait. I'll come back with help."

"What if you don't?" Shirley asked with a hint of fear in her voice.

"I got us into this mess, I'm going to get us out," Evelyn promised as she hugged the three children before making the jump.

The three orphans ran to the window to check if Evelyn had landed safely. She gave them a thumbs up and began to scream for help. In a matter of minutes, neighbors had left their houses and began to collect buckets of water until the firemen could take over. Louis, Shirley, and Barry didn't see them though. They had already gone into the bathroom by then. The three huddled inside Evelyn's bathtub, hoping for someone, anyone to save them.

"We're gonna die," Barry said, close to tears.

"Don't say that!" Louis yelled. "We're gonna make it just fine."

"We should've jumped out the window when we had a chance," Shirley said as she heard cracking, "What was that?"

"It's the ceiling," Louis said as he looked up.

"It's getting hot in here," Barry added as he too looked up.

"Guys, I think we should move," Shirley said.

In a matter of seconds, the trio jumped out of their bathtub sanctuary and watched as the burning wood of the ceiling fall on what would have been them if they had not moved. The smoke was getting very thick, so thick neither Louis, Shirley, or Barry could see their noses in front of them. The heat seemed to make the children melt, meshing their skin with their clothing. Even so, they managed to feel each other through the smoke and gather once more. This time, they crouched together in the one corner of the bathroom that didn't have fire and waited for the help that would never come. It wasn't long before the air in the bathroom ran out, and there was no more left for the trio. Their days in Saint Jerome's were finished.

By the time the firemen got there, it was too late. Saint Jerome's had burned down to the ground. Everything from clothing to furniture, even the television, was gone. As the firefighters searched through the rubble, they found three charred bodies of children, two boys and a girl. The fire had burned them beyond recognition, but they were quickly identified by the head Sister. Sister Abigail scolded herself for punishing Louis, Shirley, and Barry on Halloween. She cried for the three sets of parents who lost their children before they had the chance to meet them. She lamented Evelyn's arrest for child endangerment and even tried to turn herself in for the same charges. Still, nothing could bring the three children back to life. They were lost to the mortal world forever.

Their souls, however, were perfectly fine. In fact, they were fast asleep and riding through the gates of Halloween Town in, of all things, a walking bathtub. When they woke up, the first person they saw was the dead man from the television, up close and personal. They did what any normal children would have done- freaked out.

"AHH! He kidnapped us!" yelled a soul in the form of a boy dressed in a skeleton costume exclaimed as he shook his companions. "Wake up!"

"We're already awake," said the only female soul, all dressed up as a witch. "Listen, Mister, how did you get us here?"

"Tell the truth, or we'll beat you up," said the second male soul, the tail of his devilish form wiggling furiously. "Whoa! I have a tail?"

"Pay attention!" said the witch to the devil.

"I am. Check it out," said the devil, wiggling his tail to and fro.

"Not to that you moron! The dead guy."

"King Henry Cadaver," Henry said, a bit irritated that he was being ignored.

"Yeah, him," said the skeleton boy.

"Children, please. You're home now."

"We are?" asked the devil.

"Sure. Jump out of the tub and take a look."

The trio didn't exactly trust this Henry Cadaver, but there was nothing better to do. So, one by one, the three jumped out of the tub onto the ground of Halloween Town. They were surrounded by all kinds of people, if one could call them that. There was a man about their height with a very tall hat and two faces. Then, there was another man in a wheelchair pushed by a woman who looked to be some kind of zombie. Most interesting of all was what appeared to be a giant burlap sack man who could make bugs come out of his eyes. This interested the children very much so.

"Wow! Do that again, Mister," said the skeleton of the three.

"Oogie Boogie to you, squirts," said the burlap sack man.

"Welcome to Halloween Town, kids. We were expecting you," said the two-faced man, who was apparently in a good mood. "I'm the Mayor."

"Yeah, nice," the devil said in no attempt to sound interested. "What else can you do, Oogie Boogie?"

"Well, Henry, these three seem to have wonderful manners," the man in the wheelchair sarcastically said to the Pumpkin King.

"They'll learn, Doctor Finkelstein, don't worry. Kids, what are your names?" Henry asked.

"We don't know," the witch said as she tried to stroke her chin. "Hey, I can't feel my face."

"That's because you still have masks on," Henry said.

As soon as Henry pointed that out, the three children took off their masks. The group around them, except for the doctor's servant woman, gasped in shock. Their faces matched their masks perfectly. It was very uncanny. These children seemed to be meant for trick-or-treating, manners or not. When they realized that, the trio put their masks on and took them off over and over, giggling at their antics.

"Yes, we're aware of your resemblance to your masks," Henry said. "Now, can you kids remember anything, like names?"

"There was something about a lock, shock, and barrel," said the skeleton.

"Wasn't it stock?" asked the devil.

"Nope, it was shock." the witch said. "I bet that's my name. I'm Shock."

"I call Lock!" exclaimed the devil.

"Aw, man. I guess that makes me Barrel," said the skeleton.

"There you have it, everyone. The finest trick-or-treaters Halloween Town has ever had: Lock, Shock, and Barrel," Henry said.

"I call them as my hench-, I mean, helpers," Oogie said, raising his right arm.

"Oogie, I think we should let the children-" the Mayor started before Lock, Shock, and Barrel tackled Oogie Boogie.

"Neat!" the three exclaimed.

"See, Mayor? They like me," Oogie Boogie said with a wide smile.

"They obviously lack manners _and _taste," Doctor Finkelstein said to his serving woman, who only stared blankly into space with her pure white eyes. "I knew it was too early to take you out," the scientist sighed to her, getting pretty much the same response.

"Come on, kids. Let's ditch these losers. I've got loads of treats back at my place," Oogie Boogie said.

Without any second thoughts, the new trick-or-treaters followed Oogie Boogie, giving a triple raspberry to Henry Cadaver as they marched off. The Mayor sighed to himself sadly as he said goodbye to Henry and the doctor and then made his was to Town Hall. This left only Henry, Doctor Finkelstein, and what was supposed to be his homemade servant.

"Doctor, is this why you were proclaiming 'She's Alive' the other night?" Henry asked as he circled the attractive, stitched together blue woman.

"Yes indeed. Amazing what the right amount of electricity can do," the scientist said proudly.

"No offense, but she looks deader than I do."

"Yes, well, she doesn't have a brain. All she's running on is electricity at the moment. She can walk, clean, cook when given the commands. A perfect life-sized rag doll," the doctor said before catching Henry's skeptical look. "Come on, Henry. I need better help than Igor. He's not housebroken yet."

"I remember how he bit me when I brought him here during that second large mortal war," Henry said as he looked into the servant's eyes, "Her eyes bother me, Doctor," Henry said. "They have no pupils."

"At least she looks scary. Isn't that one of your main characteristics for residents?"

"It is. Have you named her?"

"She's the Scientifically Animated Lady, S.A.L. Sally, if you wish to be informal."

"Sally is hardly animated."

"She's made from dead parts. What did you expect, instant energy?" the doctor said as he motioned for Sally to wheel him back home. "To the right, Sally. Right!"

"I was expecting a soul," Henry said to himself before hearing a window break. Oogie's influence was almost scary the way it traveled so fast. "Those kids," the Pumpkin King said to himself once more before going to inspect the damage to the window that most certainly belonged to his house.

Present

The good news for Lock, Shock, and Barrel is that they finally found a place where they could be together, make mischief, and eat all the candy they wanted. The bad news was that they had unknowingly signed up to be Oogie Boogie's goons. That would make them pretty unpopular in town, they would gain a reputation as a Terrible Trio of some sort. Even so, there was only one other person who could keep them in control besides Oogie Boogie. No, I'm not talking about myself. I'm talking about my heir, Jake Skelly. You might know him by a different name: the master of fright, demon of light, Mr. Unlucky, and of course, Jack Skellington.

— Henry Cadaver


	10. Following Dreams

Author's Note: Happy Saint Patrick's Day, everyone! I hope everyone had fun in their green today. I want to add to it with a brand spankin' new addition to the story. First off, Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, Henry Selick, Disney, and Touchstone Pictures are the people and companies behind the original film. Capcom is currently working on a follow-up to The Nightmare Before Christmas that will let us play as Jack. Speaking of the devil, I think it's about time we found out who he was. (Re-edit Comment: I loved coming up with all of the bohemians for this chapter. Such a shame I could only use them for so little time. Oh well.)

Some people are never quite happy with what they have. Even if he or she excels in most of the things he or she does, there is always something else calling to them. Jake Skelly was one of those people. He lived a life anyone in the 1960's would have envied- living in New York City with a group of artists and bohemians and waiting for his call to stardom. That call did come, just not from the source he expected it from.

— Henry Cadaver

October 25th, 1966

A warehouse is not the kind of place one would normally expect to find life bustling and flurrying about. Then again, there was nothing normal about this warehouse. For one thing, it had been abandoned years ago and had only just been remodeled into a kind of communal pad for a group of artists not known in Manhattan yet, but they were all convinced one of them would get a big break. Their warehouse was large and very spacious with enough room to fit anyone who happened to join the group. It was also located in Chelsea, a neighborhood that just seemed to attract talent. And mail. A lot of mail came into this warehouse today, which was quite unusual.

"Whoa, a whole stack," said a girl wearing a paint-stained smock as she walked to the door of the warehouse with a mail slot and noticed the mentioned pile on the floor. "I hope these aren't all bills," she continued as she picked them up and began to seek the recipients of the mail. Fortunately, one of them found her first.

"Mary!" exclaimed a girl with a short haircut and a folder dropping pieces of paper. "Is that today's mail?"

"You're excited about this one, Laura," said the artist as she began to pick out envelopes.

"I've been waiting for The Lounge to mail me. They can't have a feminist poetry slam without me, can they?"

"I guess not," Mary said as she picked out an envelope that had The Lounge's address and gave it to Laura.

"Yes!" Laura exclaimed, dropping her folder, which completely let go of the pieces of paper inside. "Oh no! That's my new work!"

"I'll help you pick it up."

"It's ok, I'll take care of it. Go give everyone else their mail, it looks like a lot of yeses in there," Laura said as she started picking up poetry papers. "Oh, and watch your step. Jake's been leaving his gym mats around again."

"I swear, it's like he has his head in the clouds sometimes."

"Sometimes?"

Mary giggled at Laura before she resumed her search. There was the Beatles cover band affectionately known as the Roaches. Mary gave their lead singer, a dead ringer for Paul McCartney, a letter informing them of their next gig. Then there was Amir, the snake charmer. He was supposed to entertain for a Indian banquet in the Plaza. Mary was about to give him the letter when he had his cobra snatch it out of her hands. She gave him a good smack on the head for that and went on to find the others.

There were Ricky and Lola, Cuban magicians who were scheduled to perform at a Bar Mitzvah, at least, that's what their letter said. There was Pierre, the mime; his letter informed him of a performance in Central Park in two days. Vadin the fire eater got a ticket to Bali for a fire eating festival. Adrian had his own upcoming poetry night, in the Apollo Theater of all places. Mary had her own letter inviting her to a gallery and asking her to mingle with critics. All that was left was Jake's.

She looked everywhere for him. Mary checked his area, room if one could call it, and found only that the pair of rings hanging from the ceiling were still swinging back and forth. He had been there alright. Mary figured that if Jake wasn't on the rings, he was probably on the roof of the warehouse. She climbed all the way to the top, and that's where she found him.

Jake had fallen asleep as he lay down on the rooftop, staring at the sky. He was still in sweat pants and a t-shirt from what Mary assumed was his earlier training. His black hair was a mess, probably from the workout and the sleep, and his arms seemed to make a nice pillow for his head. Mary took this all in for a second before she called out his name.

"Jake?" Mary asked, receiving only a snore in reply. "Come on, Jake, wake up." Jake didn't budge, not until Mary told him what she had. "I have a letter for you. It's from the Broadhurst Theatre."

"Oh, really?" Jake asked slyly, opening one of his brown eyes slowly.

"Get up, lazybones," Mary said with a smirk on her face.

"I'm not lazy," Jake said as he got himself up. "I had a great workout today. I sang most of the score from _West Side Story_."

"Shouldn't you be working on your routine? You know, the one that could get you into the Olympics if you actually trained for it?"

"You know gymnastics is only a way for me to pay the bills. Same with your waitress job over at the Broadway diner."

"But you're actually good in the air. You're less of a klutz twirling around on your rings than walking."

"And I'm even better at singing and dancing. Speaking of which, can I have that letter now?"

"Say please, Jake Skelly."

"Please, Mary, Keeper of the Mail?"

"Here."

Jake tore into that envelope as if he had not eaten in weeks and the paper was a steak. He almost ripped the letter in half before he could read it. Mary watched Jake's eyes dart from left to right before he lowered the paper from the rest of his face, revealing a wide grin. This was good news, very good news. So good that Jake crashed into the staircase door before remembering he had to open it to get downstairs and tell everyone the news.

Mary knew Jake's behavior down to the very last detail. In less than ten minutes, he would call the entire troupe together and announce his news. In a few days, he would come back, dejected by another rejection, and go back to his rings and routine until the next audition for a musical came about. Poor guy never seemed to think being a natural athlete was enough for him. Mary seemed to think so; then again, Mary thought very highly of Jake, not that he noticed, unfortunately.

By the time Mary caught up with Jake, she saw how right she was. Everyone was in the warehouse common room. The Roaches sat together and discussed writing their own original songs one day while Laura and Adrian read each other poetry. Ricky and Lola sat together on a gym mat with Pierre pretending to sit in the air behind them while Vadin and Amir tried to outdo each other with snakes and fire. They all circled around Jake, who waited for Mary to settle herself next to Laura and Adrian before he started.

"Sorry to take you all away from your work, but I have really big news," Jake started.

"Here it comes again," one of the Roaches mumbled.

"Now, I bet you're all wondering where I've been during the day. See, I've been sneaking out to the Broadhurst Theatre to sing and dance my way to stardom. I've been practicing new songs and learning choreography, and mooning some people occasionally."

"Mooning people?" Mary asked. "Jake, where is this going?"

"Well, I'm sure you've all heard about the new musical opening up at the Broadhurst. It's called _Cabaret_. I'm one of the top choices for the narrating role of the Emcee. It's between me and someone named Joel Grey. This letter is for Joel and I to go in for one final audition, in front of the producers and writers themselves. One of us will be the understudy, one of us will be the star."

"He doesn't have a chance, Jake," Laura said.

"Knock 'em dead," Adrian added.

"I haven't told you the best part yet. The audition's on Halloween."

"Man, you live for Halloween," Amir said. "Isn't that your lucky day?"

"Has been for twenty-six years, I doubt that'll change now."

"Ricky, lend him one of your tuxedos," Lola said to her partner.

"No, I couldn't," Jake said, looking a bit uneasy.

"What will you audition in, gym clothes?" Ricky asked as he got up. "I'll find you one right now. Excuse me, Pierre," he told the mime, who got up from his 'chair' and let him pass.

"Jake, why don't I show you something," Mary said to the fidgety gymnast.

"Take your time," Jake said before coming in close to her right ear. "As long as I don't have to wear a tux longer than I have to."

"I think you'd look nice in a tux. You always want change, don't you?" Mary asked him quietly as they walked away from the celebrating group.

"Yeah, but until they invent a suit I can do back flips in, I'm not going to be too happy about wearing one."

"You can be so stubborn," Mary said as she led him to a canvas covered in cloth.

"Is this your new one?" Jake asked.

"It sure is."

"Ok, you have to let me see it now."

"Promise not to laugh."

"I swear."

With an apprehensive sigh, Mary took off the cloth. The painting was of a beautiful landscape. It was very green, as if Jake had just stepped into a forest. The sky was filled with puffy clouds, which cast shadows on some areas of the painted forest perfectly. Jake was taken aback by how pretty it was. Mary definitely knew what she was doing when it came to art, that was for sure. However, before he could compliment Mary on her work, Ricky had returned with the tuxedo. He dragged Jake away to try it on while Mary helplessly watched and covered her painting again.

"There, perfect!" Ricky exclaimed as Jake stood in front of a mirror with the tuxedo on. "Lola, he looks like a movie star."

"Si, muy guapo," Lola said as she peeked at Jake. "That means very handsome."

"Are you sure?" Jake asked as he noticed how his arms and legs seemed to be longer than the sleeves and pant legs.

"You say that because you're not used to it," Lola said as she gave Jake a pair of gloves. "Here, these always add a nice touch."

"I appreciate this, really, I do," Jake said as he got a close look at the gloves. "Lola?"

"Si?" Lola asked.

"Why do these gloves only have four fingers?"

"Que?" Ricky asked as he snatched the gloves. "Lola, these gloves are defected."

"They are?" Lola asked as she grabbed the gloves and saw that they only had four spaces, one for the thumb and three for fingers. "Esto es muy raro."

"Yes, very strange," Ricky said before looking at Jake. "Sorry about that, of all the gloves I picked out I got defected ones. I must have missed that detail when I bought them."

"It's alright. I think I'll go gloveless anyway," Jake said with a slight chuckle.

"You'll make it work. Lola, I think the sleeves and pants need extensions for him," Ricky said.

"They do. Well, better change so I can fix that up for you," Lola said to Jake before turning to Ricky. "And you should double-check the gloves you buy for your tuxes."

"Si, amor," Ricky said, blushing.

Jake changed out of that tux as fast as he possibly could and left to search for Mary. He never got to tell her how beautiful her painting was. Speaking of that painting, he came across it not long after he got out of the tux fitting. It was covered with the cloth again, and Jake decided to lift it up for another look. He got more than he bargained for.

For one thing, this was a completely different painting. It was of a tree trunk with a grinning jack o'lantern on it. Jake was about to put the cloth back on it had the jack o'lantern not opened like a door. If that wasn't strange enough, a figure came out from that tree trunk. It was a pale blue man who appeared to be dead for quite a long time. Jake dropped the cloth on sight of him and was going to call for Mary until the figure in the painting began to talk to him.

"I thought you liked art," he said.

"Whoa, am I freaking out?" Jake asked himself.

"No. I'm just visiting you."

"Do I know you?"

"Not yet."

"Not yet? What do you mean by that?"

"What do you think it means?"

"Stop messing with me. I'll call for Mary, she'll paint over you, if you exist."

"Oh, I exist," the corpse man said before switching the subject. "You live with strange people, don't you?"

"How do you know that?" Jake asked, feeling more scared by the minute.

"I know a lot of things, Jake. If you think where you live now is strange, just wait until Halloween," the corpse man said.

"What's going to happen then?" Jake asked.

"You'll see."

"Tell me!"

"Jake?" Mary's voice asked.

"Mary, you've got to see this," Jake said as he turned to Mary.

"I've seen it already, Jake. I kind of painted it," Mary said as she walked towards him.

"No, I'm talking about-" Jake started before looking back at the painting.

It was the same landscape from before. There was no tree trunk, no jack o'lantern, and certainly no dead man. Maybe the incoming pressure from the audition was actually getting to Jake. He even laughed at himself to calm down. Talking dead man from a painting? Jake smacked his forehead and sighed, that was too much even for him. When Mary asked his what was funny, Jake stopped laughing and told her he was just thinking of something Ricky had said during the tux fitting. Mary was about to leave when Jake remembered why he had looked at the painting again in the first place.

"Mary, you did a really good job. Can you save that painting for me? I want to buy it when I get famous and hang it in my house."

"You don't have to pay for it, Jake. I'll give it to you," Mary said.

"I promise, when I'm a star on Broadway, I'll get you in scenery. We can work together."

"I'd like that," Mary said as she started to walk away.

"Rooming with Laura tonight?" Jake asked, noticing she wasn't heading to her room.

"Yeah. The ceiling in my area caved in again. This place is a mess."

"We'll fix it up one day."

"Or move to different houses."

"We'll keep in touch though, right?" Jake asked.

"Of course," Mary said as she looked at him for a few moments. "Go to sleep, you're getting philosophical."

"Alright, alright," Jake said as he made his way to his area, passing Vadin on his way.

"Hey, Jake, congratulations on your audition," Vadin said, blowing out a spurt of fire. "Let me know if they need pyrotechnics."

"I will, Vadin," Jake said. "Are you ever going to teach me how to do that?"

"After I get back from Bali, I promise," Vadin said.

"I'll hold you to that," Jake said as he kept walking.

When Jake got his room, he fell back on his mattress and stared into the ceiling, emptying his mind. Well, he would be if that dead man would stop appearing in his thoughts. Who was he? Then again, Jake wasn't altogether sure he wanted to know. He turned over and looked at the script for _Cabaret_ he had left next to some sporting magazines and books. No. He was not going to let some imaginary dead man keep him from going to that audition. Jake Skelly was a dreamer, not a coward. The world was going to know his name, he would make sure of that.

Present

Everything seemed to be going well for Jake. His roommates were like his family and supported him in all he did. He was up for a large role in a Broadway musical set to premiere. Even if that didn't work out, Jake could have made it to the Olympics simply on what his body could do. Jake was very talented, but only meant for one thing. However, it was in a completely different existence than the one he knew.

— Henry Cadaver


	11. The Pumpkin Prince

Author's Note: Wow, writing this story has gone by like a flash. See, I made up for the tempting trailer I posted in the first place. Before I get to Jake Skelly's transformation, here's yet another disclaimer. I am not Tim Burton, big surprise. Nor am I Danny Elfman or Henry Selick. I do not work for Disney, Touchstone Pictures, or Capcom. Hence, I had absolutely zip to do with The Nightmare Before Christmas. This plot, however, is all mine, and Henry's I suppose. But he's mine too. Yay! (Re-edit Comment: Heh heh, Jack's been curious from day one.)

It may soothe you to know that Jake Skelly died as a hero. I know what you're thinking- how could a back flipping aspiringBroadway stardie as a hero? You'll see, believe me. It was really all a bad stroke of luck, to be honest. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, much like someone else he would eventually watch over. Ah, but that's another story. Allow me to continue before I go off track.

— Henry Cadaver

October 31st, 1966

Jake stretched and yawned as the sunlight hit his face. What time was it? He didn't know, nor did he care as he turned over on his mattress. What was today again? Oh yes, Halloween. Wait... Halloween? Jake sat right up when he remembered just how important this Halloween was, and nearly tumbled out of bed and into the hallway looking for someone who knew what time it was.

"About time you woke up," a seated Amir said to a confused Jake as a cobra raised its head out of a wicker basket.

"Amir, what time is it?" Jake asked.

"Noon."

"Why didn't you wake me up? My audition's in three hours! I haven't rehearsed my monologue and song for five straight hours beforehand," Jake started to rant as Amir got up. "I'm doomed. I'm going to fail miserably and my voice is going to crack! There's not point in going to the Broadhurst, I might as well die!" Jake exclaimed before Amir slapped him across the face.

"You're more of a drama queen than Lola."

"Thank you, Amir. I needed that."

"You can at least practice it for one hour and then make your way over to the place. Mary might want to go, she has a gallery meeting a few blocks off of the Square."

"Sure. I'll ask her. Thanks for the advice."

"One last thing, Jake. Put some pants on, or you can charge the ladies for looking at your underwear."

"Huh?" Jake asked before hearing snickers from behind.

He turned around slowly to see Laura and Lola giggling at him and wishing him good morning. Jake must have been quite a sight with messy bed head hair, tighty whities, and a t-shirt. He scowled at them slightly before running back to his room to practice his lines and music. He crammed and crammed those words and melodies until he could use them in regularspeech. Even then he felt he wasn't ready. Then again, Jake never felt ready to begin with. He sighed as he took his tux to the bathroom, showered, and then changed into the formal suit. As he left the bathroom, he came across Adrian, who was waiting his turn to use it.

"Putting on the Ritz, eh, Jake?" Adrian asked.

"That song's not in _Cabaret_. Wait, maybe it is," Jake said to Adrian and himself.

"Man, you need to calm down. You're going to do fine. Break a leg out there."

"Thanks, Adrian. I'll sit front row center at your Apollo debut."

"I appreciate it. Hurry up, now, before you get understudy."

"See you later, Adrian," Jake said as the poet closed the bathroom door.

Jake walked backwards for a few moments before turning to face the door to the streets. In front of it was Mary, who seemed to sewing up a loose hem to dress, which she tie-dyed herself. She didn't even notice Jake walk up to her. When he tapped her on the shoulder, she jumped, only to give him a smack on the chest for scaring her.

"What are you still doing here? You usually get up at seven when you have auditions and leave really early," Mary said.

"I overslept," Jake said in a sheepish tone. "Come on, we can go together."

"How'd you know I was heading to the Theater District?"

"A snake told me."

"That Amir," Mary complained, blushing slightly before digging through her purse.

"What are you looking for?" Jake asked before Mary pinned what appeared to be a miniature pumpkin to his lapel.

"You said Halloween was your favorite day of the year, and I had some spare time. It's a custom pin, one of a kind."

"That's really nice, Mary. I wish I could give you something for luck."

"You're accompanying me on the dangerous Manhattan streets. I think we're even."

"If you say so," Jake said as he opened the door for Mary.

The pair left the warehouse and clung close together to stay warm in the nippy weather. They made a funny pair, a gangly young man in a tuxedo and an artistic girl in a knit jacket and tie-dyed dress. Then again, that was considered normal in New York, almost everything was. They walked their way to Times Square and its famous Theater District alight in spite of the fact it was the middle of the day. The crowd was mix of tourists, natives, and street performers. It changed, and yet, never changed. Jake and Mary made their way to West 44th Street, the home of the Broadhurst Theatre and, hopefully, Jake's destiny.

"Where's your gallery?" Jake asked Mary.

"48th Street. I've still got a bit of a walk to go," Mary replied. "Break a leg in there."

"I have time. Are you sure you don't want me to walk you?" Jake asked.

"Go inside," Mary told him before she began to walk away.

"Have fun at the gallery," Jake called out after her.

Jake began to walk into the theater when he felt a sudden chill run right up his spine. Something was wrong. Jake wasn't exactly sure what it was, but he had to go back outside and check on Mary. When he stepped back onto the sidewalk, he saw Mary's purse on the ground. Jake acted very quickly, and forgot all about the audition in doing so.

It wasn't long until he found her. Jake stumbled into a secluded alleyway mere paces away from Mary's destination. He snuck behind some garbage cans and got a peek at what was going on. Mary was pinned to a brick wall by a dark-clothed assailant. He held a knife to her throat with one hand and felt her left thigh with the other.

"Please, don't hurt me," Mary said, trembling with fear.

"Bitch, I'll do what I want with you," said the man.

"Let me go."

"Move again and I'll slit your throat."

"I had money in my purse. It's probably still on the ground, I'll pay you anything. Please don't hurt me."

"You'll love it once I get started. They all do," the rapist said before he was tackled.

"What?" Mary asked before getting a look at who just saved her.

"Mary, there's a policeman on the corner of 47th and Fifth. Get him over here," Jake said. "I'll take care of him," he finished as he looked towards the rapist, who was getting up from the garbage cans Jake had forced him into.

"You messed with the wrong man," the rapist said to Jake as Mary ran for help.

"No. It's you who's messed up," Jake said as he jumped up to the fire escape ladder of the brick building and kicked the rapist in the chest.

"What are you, some kind of monkey freak?" the rapist asked after he had stumbled back into the garbage cans.

"You're the animal here. You tried to violate Mary. You'll pay."

The words ended right there. The rapist was angry at losing his prey and started attacking Jake with the knife. Jake was too fast for him. He would dodge his attempted stabs with ease and get behind him long enough to push him to the ground or kick him. He even flipped up to the fire escape again and kicked the rapist to the curb of the alley, which grabbed a lot of attention. A crowd formed around the pair, watching them spar excitedly. It was as if the whole fight was choreographed the way Jake would twist himself in the air, even in a tux. The rapist didn't seem to have a chance.

By the time Mary came back with the police officer, and some officers from his precinct, Jake was practically dancing around the rapist. Then, he made one mistake; he stopped to get a look at Mary, smile at her return. That was when the rapist pulled out his secret weapon, a revolver. The crowd screamed and ducked as he shot two bullets into Jake's abdomen and one into his chest. He was about to shoot more, if the police had not restrained him. Jake fell to the ground, twitching. He was already going into shock. There wasn't much time left for him now.

"JAKE!" Mary yelled as she ran to his side, picking him up and ignoring his blood on her clothing.

"Ma-mary," Jake stuttered, coughing up a bit of blood. "I'm sorry."

"You saved me. Don't be sorry," she said, tears falling from her face to Jake's.

"I-I'm going to die, are-aren't I?"

"You are not going to die on me, Jake Skelly! I won't let that happen."

"Mary, I-I feel cold."

"Jake, don't leave me, please. I love you."

"Mary..."

Jake Skelly never got to finish that sentence. His body went limp in Mary's arms as his last breath mingled with her tears. The scream of grief she let out was enough to make even the most stoic of policemen tear up. She refused to let him go, even when the paramedics arrived for his body. Things only got worse when she got home that night.

The entire troupe was appalled by Jake's death. They canceled all of their upcoming works and gigs to honor their fallen member. Still, none of their collective grief could compare to Mary's. Mary, in an act of furious passion, destroyed the painting Jake had loved so much before collapsing in sobs on her bed. She would never see Jake again. She would never see him spin around on his rings or hear him sing in the shower or even catch a glimpse of that dreamy stare. He was gone.

Well, his body was. Henry Cadaver currently took possession of Jake's soul, which seemed to take the form of scattered bones. The Pumpkin King had collected the bones in a large sack and lugged it back to Halloween Town. The first place he headed was Doctor Finkelstein's laboratory. He was sure the elderly scientist could help him assemble the skeleton. As usual, Henry was right.

"I've never seen a soul that had to be assembled," Doctor Finkelstein said as Henry emptied the bag on a metal table.

"He's been through a lot, this one," Henry said.

"Best to get to work," the scientist said before looking over to his female servant, "Sally, you help too," he ordered, receiving a blank stare from the rag doll. "Useless."

"Maybe she needs a soul," Henry said as he connected to a lower leg bone and a thigh bone together.

"Don't you start with that soul business again, Henry," Doctor Finkelstein said as he attacked a hand to a forearm. "Sally will learn on her own. If worst comes to worst, I'll give her half of my brain."

"As you wish, doctor," Henry replied half-heartedly.

In a matter of thirty minutes, the pair had the skeleton put together. They allowed him to wake up out of his own accord, which he did. The skeleton slowly got up, rubbing his closed eyelids before opening them to his surroundings and then blinking in disbelief. There was a old man in a wheelchair and a partially dead man smiling at him. In the corner of the room was a woman in the shadows who didn't seem to do anything but stare into space with her pure white eyes. This was certainly odd. So odd that the skeleton pinched his left arm bone to make sure he was in reality.

"Ouch," he said.

"What's the matter?" Henry asked.

"I'm not dreaming," the skeleton said as he fell back on the table and sighed. "Where am I?"

"Halloween Town," said Doctor Finkelstein. "Your home."

"Home? Well, that's one question answered," the skeleton said as he sat back up. "Would either of you know who I am?" he asked the corpse man and scientist.

"You should figure that out for yourself," Henry said.

"Hmmmmm. What are your names?" asked the skeleton.

"Our names? I'm King Henry Cadaver and this is Doctor Finkelstein."

"Those sound pretty sophisticated. I must have a sophisticated name too."

"If you suppose," said the scientist.

"I know! My name is Jack Skellington. That's sophisticated, isn't it King Henry, if I can call you that?"

"Henry's just fine. That is a fine name, if I do say so myself."

"Splendid!" Jack exclaimed before shivering. "It's cold in here."

"That's because you're naked."

"What?" Jack asked Henry before looking over at the rag doll once more and then jumping to the floor and hiding behind the table. "I'm terribly sorry, Miss! I'm suffering from amnesia! That doesn't explain why I'm naked, but please know I apologize." Jack yelled from his hiding spot.

"Don't bother. She can't comprehend a thing and you have nothing to hide," Doctor Finkelstein said as he wheeled himself over to Sally.

"I don't?" Jack asked as he looked down. "I guess not."

"Jack, I have something that came with your body in the bag," Henry said as he pulled a suit out of the bag. "Here, try it on."

"May I have a little privacy?"

"Of course. Let's go, Doctor Finkelstein. Sally too."

Henry, the doctor, and the rag doll left the lab and waited outside for Jack. They were approached by the Mayor, Oogie Boogie and his three little goons, and the whole town itself. It seemed that everyone knew what was going on, except for Jack and possibly Sally. As soon as Jack Skellington walked out into the open, strutting in that now famous suit and bat tie, the entire town, save for Oogie Boogie, Lock, Shock, and Barrel, cheered for him. Even Sally, who wasn't all there, clapped, although it was out of any real rhythm.

"Well, you sure are all very welcoming," Jack said, bashfully.

"Halloween Town, I present to you Jack Skellington, my heir," Henry said, causing the majority of the town to cheer again.

"Excuse me?" Jack asked, eyes widening at what Henry had just said.

"It'll be great to work with you, Jack!" the Mayor exclaimed.

"Thank you," Jack said, not really knowing what else to say.

"When it is time for me to pass my position, it will be to this man right here. I expect the same respect for him when that day comes. Even now, he is the Pumpkin Prince."

"Yeah, right. Scrawny excuse for royalty," Oogie Boogie muttered, receiving chuckles from Lock, Shock, and Barrel.

"Your future is safe, Halloween Town, we'll make sure of that," Henry said, motioning to Jack.

Jack didn't know what to make of all of this. He had just been thrown into a place that was supposed to be his home and yet was so odd he could never have imagined it in his wildest dreams. It was amazing and terrifying all at the same time. When the crowds finally dispersed, Henry guided Jack to his home, a grand manor that would one day belong to him.

"Welcome to Cadaver Manor," Henry said as he and Jack walked inside.

"Wow," Jack said as he looked at the surroundings. "You live here?"

"All the Pumpkin Kings and Princes do. You'll have the room all the way at the top. I've cleaned it out just for you. Hope you like dogs."

"Why?" Jack asked before hearing a bark.

Jack stood with his jaw open as what had barked. It was a small ghost dog with a glowing orange nose. Upon close examination, it was in the shape of a carved pumpkin. The dog hovered over to Henry and licked his right hand affectionately Henry pet the dog on its head before introducing it to Jack.

"This is Zero. Don't ask me where he came from, because his history precedes most of the Pumpkin Kings. He has always been the king's royal pet. One day, he'll be your dog."

"This is so amazing!" Jack exclaimed. "One thing though," he started.

"Is it about your body?" Henry asked in a sigh, expecting the topic to pop up sooner or later.

"Yes. Can I get hungry?"

"I suppose."

"Then, how do I, um, dispose of waste? Do I even need to, since I'm kind of dead and all?"

"Logically, I'm going to say seated. Is that it?"

"It was the only thing troubling me."

"Nothing else?"

"Nope. Why?"

"No reason," Henry said, relieved the notorious subject of sex hadn't come up.

"So, when will I become king?" Jack asked.

"Not anytime too soon. You need to train, develop your fear skills. You'll know when the day comes, Jack."

"What will I do until then?" Jack asked.

"Like I said, train. I'll set you up with your first soul too, a little boy named Billy."

"What do I do with souls?"

"It's too much to explain right now. Just take a walk, talk to people, feel welcome."

"If it's alright, I'd rather go up to my room."

"Go ahead then."

Jack climbed up the spiral staircase and was awed by the place he would be living in. It had shelves of books and a wonderful view of the entire town. He stood at the window for a long time before deciding to go to sleep. He felt very tired for some reason he couldn't place. Jack sighed happily as he drifted into slumber. He was going to be someone great, someone people loved. This was a dream in itself, only better: it was real.

Present

Jack took to Halloween Town rather well. People liked him, save for Oogie and his henchchildren. Even if his undead head was still in the clouds, he meant well and usually did what was right for Halloween Town. I like to think I trained him well, it gives much peace. After all, he would be the one collecting souls just as I did. In fact, the last soul I ever collected was during our training. It was that of Sarah Anderson, who would inhabit the body of Doctor Finkelstein's doll and make her, well, human.

— Henry Cadaver


	12. Good Girl

Author's Note: Well, this is the last story. After this tale and a few parting words from Henry, Origins will officially be done. Of course, it never could have taken form in my head without the existence of The Nightmare Before Christmas. That came to fruition in the minds of others, not I. I'd name them, but I'm feeling an intense need to get this part of the story written. Just know I'm not the genius behind the original film and I think we can continue just fine. (Re-edit Comment: I loved writing these two chapters the most. All the character interaction just did it for me. How about all of you?)

I'm sure many of you are familiar with the town of Wolf Creek, Kentucky. Let me just say that William "Billy" Colby is not the only Halloween Town member, past, present, or future, who lived there. Sarah Anderson was a resident of Wolf Creek during her lifetime. She even attended college close to home so she could be close to her mother, father, and younger sisters. Sarah was a good girl under normal circumstances. That all changed a mere day before she left the mortal world.

— Henry Cadaver

October 30th, 1974

"Remember, class," the professor of the English class said as the class time came to an end, "Read _A Streetcar Named Desire_ for Monday," he finished amidst a crowd of chattering college kids heading straight for the door.

"Professor?" asked a female voice that made the elder man's lips curl into a smile.

"In a moment, Sarah," as the rest of the class finally cleared out.

The professor of the English class looked to his desk and found Sarah Anderson placing a large stack of papers on it. She was a rather bookish girl, with her long red hair almost always tied in a messy bun and large glasses that seemed to magnify her brown eyes. At the moment, she was holding a pencil in between her teeth as she searched for one last paper.

"Here's the cover page, Professor Engal," she said as she passed him a sheet of paper.

"A Comprehensive Analysis of _Alice in Wonderland_," he read before looking back at Sarah, "I wasn't expecting this until after Thanksgiving Break."

"Well, I got a little bored the past three nights and decided to jump on it."

"You pretty much leaped on it, Sarah. I'm impressed."

"Thank you, sir. I'll have the Streetcar paper ready for you on Tuesday."

"Now, now. Take your time. I wouldn't want the star English Major to burn out. Especially with the play auditions taking place after Halloween. Which one is it this year?"

"_Romeo and Juliet_," Sarah said with a hopeful gleam in her eyes. "I've been practicing the balcony scene with Lisa for weeks."

"Let me guess, is she Romeo in these practices?" Professor Engal asked as another girl, a tall brunette in bell bottoms and platform shoes managed to walk into the classroom.

"Yeah. Being a guy's harder than they make it out to be," she said to the professor before turning to Sarah. "Class ended, Sarah."

"I know, Lisa. I was just turning in a paper. I'll see you tomorrow, Professor."

"Come on," Lisa said as she practically dragged Sarah out of the room.

"That was pretty rude, Lisa."

"You were taking forever. Derek's outside."

"Derek? You mean Derek Crane?" Sarah asked as her jaw dropped open.

"Yeah. He's handing out invites to his Halloween Party tomorrow. Seniors only, so there's no need to worry about any freshmen creeping up on him," Lisa said as they walked out of the building.

"He won't invite me, will he?" Sarah asked.

"He has to. You wrote his _Hamlet_ paper in freshman year when he almost flunked out of the football team. If he doesn't remember that, well, one of these shoes will find a new home right up his-" Lisa said before she noticed something. "As I was saying, here's the host himself."

"Lisa? What are you talking about?" Sarah asked before she saw why Lisa had stopped talking mid-insult.

There he was, the Campus King himself. Derek Crane was six feet, seven inches of pure masculinity. His eyes were a dark shade of green that could pierce right through a girl's heart, and usually did. His arms seemed to be made for falling into, even sleeping in. He was a buff, blonde god among college students, and Sarah was one of his many worshipers. Right now, she almost bowed at his sight.

"Hello, ladies," Derek said in a smooth voice. "How long have you been coming here?"

"It's our fourth year here, Derek. Come on, you know us," Lisa said, receiving a blank stare from Derek.

"I don't exactly recall you," Derek said to Lisa before looking at Sarah. "Your name starts with an S, right? Sally?"

"Sarah," she said, blushing and looking down at her feet.

"Right. You haven't changed a bit since freshmen year. Here," he said as he passed her two invitations. "Bring your friend along, and don't be scared to dress up," Derek said, flashing a smile to the pair before he walked to the next group of senior girls coming his way.

Sarah and Lisa screamed their heads off the moment they got into Lisa's car. Derek invited _them_ to _his_ party? This was too much for any words to describe. A few screams and hugs could do better than words. At least, until Sarah remembered something when Lisa turned the corner to her block.

"Lisa, I can't go tomorrow night," Sarah said.

"If you say 'I have to study', I'm going to have to slap you," Lisa said.

"It's not that. It's Catherine's birthday tomorrow. She's turning ten."

"She'll have other birthdays you can make it to, don't worry."

"I don't think my parents will like me going to someone else's party when it's my sister's birthday."

"See, if you dormed somewhere else, this wouldn't be a problem."

"We wouldn't be friends if I dormed somewhere else."

"Good point," Lisa said as she stopped in front of Sarah's house. "Call me later, and say yes to Derek's party."

"I'll see," Sarah said as she stepped out of the car. "Thanks for the lift."

"No prob. Don't forget to call."

"I won't."

Sarah watched as he friend drove away before walked up to her house. The family's Great Dane, Duke, was lazily lying on the front lawn. He barely lifted his head to greet Sarah on her way inside. Emma Lyn must have tired him out before she went to school. Sarah smiled at the thought before she opened the door with her keys and found her mother vacuuming the living room.

"Sarah, honey," she said. "You finished early today. It's only one o'clock."

"Yeah, it was just English and an Education class today," Sarah said. "Need any help?"

"Actually, I need you to pick up Catherine's present at the antique shop. I found the cutest rag doll there."

"About that, Mom-" Sarah started before her mother rushed over to the kitchen.

"Catherine has been looking forward to tomorrow for a whole month. Even Marilyn's coming up."

"From Florida?"

"She says it's too hot down there to be fall anyway. She was all ready to leave when she graduated high school last year and now she's running back home. Bless her, but that girl never could make up her mind."

"I guess not," Sarah said in a slightly depressed tone.

"Is something wrong, dear?" her mother asked.

"I was kind of, um, invited to something for tomorrow night."

"Oh. Well, what kind of something is it?"

"A Halloween Party. I haven't answered it yet, Mom. I'll say no as soon as I get the chance."

"Sarah, perhaps you should ask Catherine. Maybe you can go to the party fashionably late. Don't fret, this can be talked out."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Sweetie, you have been a good girl for twenty-two years. Who am I to say no to fun that doesn't include books for once? Now go to the antique shop and pick up the doll."

"I'll be back in a few minutes, then," Sarah said as she left the house once again.

Since her father had driven the family car to work, Sarah had to walk to the antique shop. Thankfully, it wasn't too far away. When Sarah got there, she asked the clerk for the rag doll and waited a few minutes while she went into some kind of back room. When she came back, she held a doll no larger than any of Emma Lyn's old Barbies. It was made of cloth with red yarn for hair and had button eyes and a stitched smile. Sarah forgot she was too old to own a rag doll, that's how cute she found it. Catherine really would love it; Sally made sure to buy a box and gift wrapping paper before she went back home with the present.

When Sarah came back to her block, she saw that there were three men crossing the street to her house. One looked very studious with a clipboard and pen ready in hand. Another was a short fellow who had to run at a faster pace to keep up with the first man. The last was a man not much older than Sarah, who looked at the clouds for a minute before realizing he was lagging behind. Sarah ran up to the three of them before they could knock on the door.

"Excuse me, are you from a church?" she asked. "With all do respect, we're already affiliated with-" she started before the man with the clipboard looked right into her eyes.

"Are you Sarah Anderson?" he asked in a voice of authority.

"Yes. What's wrong, sir?"

"We're taking a survey."

"Who are you?" Sarah asked.

"The Cumberland Associates. We take censuses for the whole Cumberland Area, like Wolf Creek here. My name is Harry Carlyle. The man to my right is Gary Rothschild," Harry said as he nodded to the shorter man.

"How do you do, Miss?" asked Gary as he smiled broadly to Sarah.

"And Jimmy," Harry said as he turned to see that Jimmy was petting the Great Dane lying down on the yard. "Jimmy is our apprentice. His mind wanders," Harry said with a loud sigh. "We're here to ask a few questions."

"You can come in then. It's a little cold out here anyway."

Sarah led the three men into the house and sat them in the kitchen. She read a note on the refrigerator that her mother had left minutes before. Apparently, Emma Lyn had gotten detention for arguing with that Colby boy from down the street. It wasn't the first time, that boy and his friends were always up to something. Knowing her mother, Sarah figured she would be there arguing with Mrs. Colby for quite some time. It looked like Sarah would be answering all the questions for the survey.

"Well, gentlemen, let's begin," Sarah said.

"Where do you go to school, Sarah?" Harry asked as he positioned his pen next to lines on his clipboard paper.

"I go to Cumberland College. It's not far from here, I commute with a friend."

"Why do we need to know that?" Jimmy asked Harry, who shot him a glare.

"Because we do, Jimmy. Remember our briefing?"

"You only told me about Bil-" Jimmy started before Gary elbowed him slightly.

"Thank you, Gary," Harry said before continuing. "Sarah, how would you describe yourself in three words?"

"Three? Well, I would have to say family-oriented, studious, and modest. Did that make any sense at all?" Sarah asked, feeling her cheeks grow red.

"It did, don't worry," Harry said with a grin. "Have any plans for Halloween?"

"Not very sure ones, to be honest."

"That's alright," Gary said. "Honesty's the best policy."

"So I've heard," Sarah said, noticing that Jimmy was fidgeting nervously. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," Jimmy said, getting up and holding his right hand behind his back. "Mr. Carlyle, Mr Rothschild, can we retire to the restroom for a moment?"

"Where would that be, Sarah?" Harry asked.

"First door to your left in the hall."

The three men hurried to that door in a group. Sarah found this quite odd, as she had never seen men go to the bathroom in a flock. She decided to creep over to the door and listen in on what conversation they were having. She was about to be very surprised.

"Jack, I know it's hard for you, but can you please act normal?" asked what seemed to be Harry's voice.

"I'm sorry. This disguise isn't working for me. My right hand's showing," Jimmy's voice said, or rather, Jack's.

"He's got a point there, Henry," said the third voice, that of Gary Rothschild. "We know Sarah's a marked one and she'd work just fine for the doll, why are we doing all of this?"

"I just have to be absolutely sure. Tomorrow night is my last soul, Mayor," the voice of Harry, or was it Henry, said. "After this one, Jack will be in charge. He's on duty tomorrow night too, as a matter of fact."

"Of all the souls you give me it has to be one in great danger of being lost," Jack said.

"That's because you overdid your spookiness for the past seven years and have him disliking Halloween. You'll do fine, don't worry. What matters now is Sarah."

"Are you sure we can't just leave her alone? She seems very nice, Henry."

This was enough for Sarah. Whatever these men were planning, she was going to have no part in it. She took a bobby pin from her bun and unlocked the door with it. She turned the knob to find three completely different men than those who entered. There was a very short, portly man with a tall hat whose head turned around the second the door opened. There was also a corpse staring at Sarah in surprise, and not a good kind. Finally, there was a suited skeleton who, after overcoming the shock of being discovered said one word: Boo.

That was enough for Sarah. She ran out of the house screaming her head off without looking back. It was only until she bumped into her mother, Emma Lyn, and Catherine that she calmed down. After telling them there were strange men in the house, Emma Lyn stormed in to check, since she was quite the bold young girl to begin with. It turned out that if there were men in there before, they were gone now. Sarah was beside herself with embarrassment. She could not possibly have imagined the whole thing, could she?

"Are you ok, Sarah?" Catherine, a small-framed girl with black hair and green eyes, asked when she gave her oldest sister a glass of water.

"A bit shaken, Catherine. Thank you," Sarah said as she took a sip, " I need to ask you something. Would you mind if I left your birthday party early tomorrow?"

"Why? Did Derek ask you out?"

"How do you know his name?"

"Emma Lyn taught me how to use an empty glass against a wall to hear people talk."

"That girl," Sarah said before getting back to the subject, "Well, he did kind of ask me out."

"You can go then. But not until after we blow out the candles, ok?"

"It's a deal," Sarah said. "You know, when you fall in love one day, you'll understand all these things."

"Yeah, but I'd rather just watch tv now," Catherine said.

"Go ahead," Sarah said as Catherine left her side and Emma Lyn quickly plopped down on the couch. "You have to stop fighting with those boys," Sarah said to her.

"They started it," Emma Lyn said. "That Billy Colby is such a moron. Him and those two dumb friends of his."

"What did they do?"

"They said my butt looked big in my bell bottoms. They had it coming."

"The nerve of those boys. Did you give any of them black eyes?"

"Not this time," Emma Lyn said, sighing as their mother called the girls to dinner.

Sarah would eat dinner, call Lisa, and eventually forget about those three strange men who came to her house. Besides, she had to find a good costume for Derek's Halloween Party tomorrow. There had to be something she could go as that wasn't dorky. That's when she came up with an idea. With black jeans, a black shirt, and the right accessories, she could go as a cat. Not over the top and not cheesy at all. Sarah would have the best night of her life tomorrow. Well, that's what she thought.

Present

It's amazing how things tend to work out. In two nights, the Mayor, Jack, and I had to collect one soul and watch over another. It was hard work, but we managed to pull it off. Sarah was a nice and lovely girl, so it was difficult to take her away from her family in that particular stage of life when she had so much to aspire to. Unfortunately, I never planned when to take souls, I just did. That rag doll of the doctor's just needed a soul so badly, and from what I've heard, Sally's having a soul has worked out rather well for Jack.

— Henry Cadaver


	13. End of the Soul Search

Author's Note: Guess who has spring vacation? Me! That means updates of what's left of this story and more new stuff. Excited? I know I am. First off, The Nightmare Before Christmas came to life through Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, Henry Selick, Disney, and Touchstone Pictures. It has an follow-up courtesy of the gaming company Capcom after a good twelve years. About time if you ask me. But enough about that, it's Henry's time to speak now. (Re-edit Comment: You gotta admit, Sally really is much better with a soul than as an empty shell.)

Sarah's death would be called a tragedy in the days following it. Her family had every right to call it so; she was a bright young girl with all the potential in the world. She still has it, just not in the mortal realm. Alas, they never found out that Sarah had been reborn. Her death was too much for them. If it is too much for any of you, then I completely understand if you wish to skim through the words faster than usual. If not, then I hope knowing the truth behind Sally's soul will give you a better understanding of the rag doll.

— Henry Cadaver

October 31st, 1974

"Catherine, honey, time to blow out the candles,"said a black-haired man amidst a crowd of children in Halloween costumes. "Catherine?"

"Over here, Daddy," said the voice of a little girl, dressed up as a black cat. "Already?" she asked when she walked up to him.

"You know Sarah has to go, honey. Come on, so we can take pictures of the both of you."

Catherine quickly scampered to the table with the large jack o'lantern-shaped cake with ten candles waiting for her. One by one, her sisters joined her for pictures with the cake before she blew the candles out. There was Emma Lyn, dressed as a witch, who handed Catherine a lanyard bracelet she made herself before their picture was taken. Then there was Marilyn, the sister who came up from Florida just to see her little sister on her birthday. She arrived wearing a white outfit, bunny ears, and a cotton tail, which showed up very nicely on the Polaroid. Her present to Catherine was to take her to Disney World the next vacation from school she had.

Then there was Sarah. In their first picture together, Sarah and Catherine looked like a mother cat and kitten. Sarah's arm could be seen keeping Catherine away from the flames on the candle. In their second picture, after the candles had been blown out, Kitty was seem embracing Sarah while holding an array of hand-knit jacket in her hands. Sarah smiled down upon her gently, not showing any signs being rushing to another place. After all, it was only nine o'clock, as the wall in the background read.

"Is Lisa picking you up, Sarah?" her mother asked as Sarah.

"Yes. She should be coming any minute now," Sarah replied as she looked out the window.

"Sarah, where did you find the time to knit all of those?" asked her father.

"In between studying and sleeping."

"Be careful, dear," her mother warned.

"I will, Mom," Sarah said when horn honks came from outside. "That's her."

"Come home before dawn, young lady," Sarah's father said jokingly as he opened the door for her.

"Oh, Dad, I'll probably be back in a few hours," Sarah said as she walked out of the house.

Sarah got into Lisa's car and waved one last time to her parents before her friend drove off. In no time, Sarah buckled her seatbelt and looked over to Lisa to see what she was going as to Derek's party. Lisa looked anachronistic as a 1920's flapper driving a modern car, but she pulled off the look well, from the sequined blue dress to the pearls dangling from her neck."Where did you get that?" Sarah asked Lisa, motioning to her dress.

"My grandma was a flapper back in the 20's. I figured this dress needed to see the public again. Ready to have fun, Study Girl?" Lisa asked.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Nope," Lisa said, chuckling when Sarah nudged her right arm.

"Fine, I_ guess _I'll party. If I even know the meaning of the word anymore," Sarah said as she fixed a fallen cat ear on her headband_, "_Where is this Halloween bash anyway?"

"Derek's place. Well, his parent's place, they left for business. They won't be back until Sunday."

"Where's that?"

"Summersville. It's a half-hour away, so I suggest we put some music on and enjoy the ride."

With a good supply of eight-track tapes to sing along to, the ride to Derek's place seemed to be shorter than Lisa had mentioned. Sarah couldn't believe her eyes when they drove up to his house, or to be more precise, mansion. It overlooked all of Summersville and seemed to attract all kinds of people in costumes. The pair parked the car near others on the back lawn and entered the suburban palace like Halloween princesses.

"This guy's loaded," Lisa whispered to Sarah as they passed by an eclectic mix of college students dressed as toga-clad romans, cowboys, renaissance ladies, and only one as Elvis Presley.

"I guess he didn't need the football scholarship after all," Sarah whispered back to Lisa when they arrived at the open bar.

"Wish I could afford to let my GPA drop a million points," Lisa replied as she pounded her palm on the counter. "Two beers."

"Just one," Sarah said to the bartender, a John Wayne lookalike for the night. "Lisa, you know I don't drink. You shouldn't either, I hate driving your car."

"Hey, you only ran out of gas once."

"On the freeway."

"Ok, ok. This is my only one, then I'm hitting the buffet. How about you, Sarah? Sarah?"

By the time Lisa asked Sarah about any encounters with the buffet, she was already in another world. Derek had entered the room dressed most appropriately as a medieval prince. He smiled at his guests, played a most gracious host, and amazingly enough went in Sarah's direction. She tried to hide behind Lisa, who only pushed her right into Derek's arms. If Sarah wasn't so focused at yelling at Lisa at the moment, she would have enjoyed the feeling of Derek's arms around her. Then again, by the time she stood back on her own feet, she had lost any ill feelings whatsoever.

"So cats really do land on their feet," Derek said. "Did you find the place alright?"

"Lisa?" Sarah asked, not quite sure what to say.

"We found it fine," Lisa replied. "Nice place you've got here."

"Thanks. You wouldn't mind if I took your company away for a moment, would you?" Derek asked Lisa while he glanced at Sarah.

"Knock yourself out," Lisa said, ignoring the clear deer-in-headlights look Sarah gave her.

"Come on, Sarah. I think we should get to know each other a little better," Derek said to her as he began to walk ahead.

Sarah pouted at Lisa for a moment before she followed Derek. They walked out into the open air, where there was a cool breeze rustling the multicolored leaves in the Crane garden. Apparently, Derek had arranged for this place to be private, as there was no trace of anyone else there, not even a beer keg. Sarah could feel her heart begin to pound against her chest. As smart as she was, she could still fall into those dreams even the most jaded girls had from time to time. Would this be the night Prince Charming noticed her?

"You know, you really helped me a lot that first year," Derek said to Sarah. "I don't think I would have made it past first semester without you."

"It was nothing. A few quotes here, some independent thought there. Papers are easy," Sarah said before catching herself. "I'm sorry, I must sound so pompous."

"You don't. You're good at what you do. English to you is like football to me. That's an analogy, right?"

"That's right."

"See, our partnership is working out just fine already."

"Partnership?"

"Well, possible partnership," Derek started before clearing his throat. "Sarah, I haven't been doing so well on the field as I used to. The Dean's told me to pick up my grades or else I'll be off of the team and the college. He's been pretty lenient on me before, I mean, I haven't even picked out a major yet."

"Where is this going, Derek?" Sarah asked, for once not feeling awed by the local Campus God.

"I need you to help me. You know, write papers, take notes, kind of be my personal secretary."

"Is that why you invited me? So you could hire me as your receptionist?"

"Sarah, please. I'm about a quarter of a point from flunking out. I can't fail any more classes."

"Then drop the football and pick up some books. Look at you, everything in your life has been handed to you without a day's work. I thought you were actually worth talking to instead of some spoiled rich brat," Sarah said as she began to walk away from Derek.

"Wait," Derek said as he grabbed her right arm. "You could be my secretary with benefits, if you know what I mean. Come on, you'll be getting what every other girl on campus wants."

"Yeah, what they've already had," Sarah said as she wrenched herself out of Derek's grasp.

"You can't walk away from me, Sarah. Nobody says no to Derek Crane!"

"Then call me Nobody. That's all I ever was to you anyway."

Before Derek could say another word, a clap of thunder sounded across the sky. Sarah ran inside of the mansion, grabbed a stuffed Lisa, and led her outside to the car. The girls quickly drove away from the Crane house as it began to pour. At the first chance Lisa could get, she pulled over to the side of the road and asked Sarah what had happened. Sarah told her everything Derek had said, and Lisa had only one correct way to answer her.

"You did the right thing. If it were me, I would have slapped him too."

"Lisa, that's your answer to everything."

"It's a damn good answer if you ask me."

"Did I take you away from the buffet too early?"

"Nope. If you'd left me there sooner, I would have burst out of my dress. Let's go home, it's really pouring."

Sarah nodded as Lisa pulled back onto the main road and headed back to Wolf Creek. When they reached the outskirts of town, a most unusual thing happened. The windshield wipers stopped working. Without them, Lisa couldn't see a thing in the rain. She had to pull over again. This time, both girls got out of the car and tried to get the wipers working. They couldn't, so they did the next best thing. The pair tried to flag people down to take them home. However, in the rain and accumulating fog, that wasn't working.

"Lisa, go back in the car, you'll ruin your dress," Sarah said as she began to shiver from the rain.

"I'm not leaving you out here to flag all alone," Lisa said before Sarah ran out in the middle of the road. "Sarah?"

"I see someone," she replied, pointing to distant headlights.

"Quick, flag them down!" Lisa exclaimed.

"I'm trying."

"They're getting kind of close."

"That means they're going to help us, right?"

Lisa wasn't quite so sure about Sarah's reasoning. At the speed that car was going, it couldn't possibly stop to help them. Yet Sarah was there flagging it down. It didn't seem to be pulling over at all. That's when Lisa figured it out- the fog! They weren't going to pull over. The fog was obstructing the driver's vision. Lisa jumped out to drag Sarah back to her car, but by then it was too late.

The driver, a man in his forties on his way home, slammed on the brakes far too late. He winced as he felt the impact against his windshield. As soon as the car stopped, he got out onto the road to see if who, or what, he had hit was ok. He found a girl dressed as a flapper, getting up with a few scrapes and bruises.

"Are you crazy?" he asked in bewilderment.

"My wipers stopped working. We couldn't see a thing in the rain without them," Lisa said as she got up.

"We?" the man asked, his face turning pale.

"Sarah." Lisa said to herself in a dark tone. "Sarah? Sarah?" she called out before she found her friend. "Oh my God!"

"Is she-?" the man started to ask, rushing over to see the second girl.

It was too late for her. Sarah had taken most of the pressure of the crash upon herself. Her skin was cut up from the glass, and Lisa could feel that a lot of her bones were broken. Lisa could even make out a very faint pulse. However, there was one thing she couldn't feel- her breath. Lisa tried to give Sarah CPR, to make her breathe again, but it was all in vain. By the time any help got to that foggy road, it was too late. Sarah Anderson had passed from this world, leaving behind a crushed family, a broken-hearted best friend, and a man consumed by grief. It was truly an accident, a tragedy that stole away a young genius' soul.

As for who stole that soul, he was carrying it around the streets of Wolf Creek in the pouring rain. Henry still had to meet up with Jack. He seemed to be taking this particular soul very seriously for some reason. In Henry's arms, Sarah's soul moved about in its 'sleep'. Apparently, it didn't realize it had left the body yet. Henry sighed to himself, growing impatient with Jack. That is, until he saw a young boy run past him, screaming his head off about a skeleton. Needless to say, Jack was right on his trail.

"What are you doing?" Henry asked, watching the Pumpkin Prince stop in his tracks.

"Oh, I'm just, um, watching the soul," Jack said, chuckling sheepishly.

"I'll yell at you when we get home," Henry said as he formed a dark portal around himself. "Let's go, before she wakes up."

"Yell at me? But you don't even know what I did yet."

"I can tell it's something big, Jack. I can just feel it."

Jack decided not to argue any further and followed Henry through the portal. It was the fastest way to get the soul from the Real World to Halloween Town without it waking up. Besides, walking into the woods in all that rain and mist wasn't too appealing to Jack and Henry anyway. As to where they ended up, it was right in Doctor Finkelstein's laboratory, as expected. The Mayor was waiting for them, and apparently relieved when they arrived.

"Whew, good to see you again. It's hard trying to keep the doctor out of his own lab," the Mayor said.

"You can let him in after we give the body a soul," Henry said, looking to the doctor's rag doll, which was currently lying down on a metal table.

"How long will that be?" the Mayor asked.

"Right now," Henry replied, placing the soul right on top of the body.

The three men watched as the rag doll body absorbed the soul. She began to twist and turn about, as if having a nightmare. Her head shook and she began to breathe heavily before sitting straight up and opening her eyes. They now had black pupils, a sign of life, intelligence, and right now, fear. When she got a good look at the three surrounding her, she yelped a bit and curled up against the wall. She closed her eyes and rocked back and forth, muttering all the while.

"I don't think she's improved that much," the Mayor whispered to Henry, his face changing to show his disappointment.

"She's scared. It's natural for her to be after all she's been through. Jack, talk to her," Henry said.

"Me?" Jack asked. "Are you sure?"

"Cooperate now and I won't yell at you so much later."

"Alright," Jack said, watching the Mayor and the Pumpkin King leave to fetch the doctor.

The Pumpkin Prince sighed to himself before walking up to the curled up doll. He had trouble finding what to say to her to make her feel better. "Welcome to the Afterlife" was a bit much and "Hey, you're dead" seemed a bit too insensitive. This was tough. At least, until Jack realized that the best way to talk to this girl was to make her feel comfortable instead of scared.

"Hey," Jack started, watching the rag doll jump and move away from him. "It's ok, I won't hurt you."

"Who are you?" she asked before looking down at her hands. "Who am I?"

"You're Sally."

"I am? Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty sure."

"Why do I have so many stitches? Why is my skin blue?" she asked before feeling her hair. "Is this yarn?"

"I think so. The doctor can probably answer those questions," Jack said.

"Who is he?"

"He's your creator."

"He is? Oh," Sally said, not hiding any disappointment in her voice. "Well, I wouldn't have minded if you made me. You're nice. Not that the doctor isn't nice, I don't know him. Or do I? I'm so confused. I don't even know your name."

"Jack Skellington," he said, extending his right hand to her.

"Nice to meet you then, Mr. Skellington," Sally said, taking his hand in hers for a moment before shrinking back and blushing a bit.

"You can call me Jack. Being formal's a bit boring at times."

"So, you're a skeleton?"

"Yes. Being dead has advantages. I can take off my head, want to see?"

"Not yet," Sally said, feeling a bit nauseous at the thought. "Does that mean I'm dead too?"

"In another world, you would be considered dead. Here, you're reanimated, born again."

"Wow. I never thought that could happen."

"Anything can happen here," Jack said with a grin that took up his whole face.

Sally would have asked Jack more questions if the raised voice of an angry elder man hadn't interrupted them. Doctor Finkelstein wheeled himself into the room while raging over the nerve Henry had at giving Sally a soul. It was preposterous. It was out of the question. Then, when Doctor Finkelstein actually got a good look at Sally's capacities, it was the best idea Henry Cadaver had ever had.

"Hello, are you the doctor?" Sally asked, getting used to the strangeness surrounding her.

"Sally! You can speak!" Doctor Finkelstein exclaimed.

"Am I not supposed to? I'm sorry."

"No, no. It's amazing. I can actually have conversations with you instead of having to wipe drool from your chin."

"I drool?"

"Not anymore, you don't."

"What if I do by accident? Will you be mad at me?"

"You have curiosity, compassion, intelligence, cognitive skills galore! I could never have imagined this for you in my most precise calculations. We have to celebrate."

"Wow, I've never seen him so happy," the Mayor whispered to Henry in happy surprise.

"Makes the whole 'Sally Doesn't Need A Soul' speech almost tolerable," Henry whispered back.

"Especially since we don't need to hear it anymore."

"What are you two babbling on about? Is there still anything from the Halloween festivities left over? This is an achievement in science that must be celebrated," Doctor Finkelstein said.

"Boogie's Boys stole most of the candy and took it to their hideout on the outskirts of town," Henry sighed. "I'd get it back, but I figure I shouldn't be rounding up outlaws on my last nights before parting."

"Last nights before parting?" Sally asked. "Where are you going?"

"Oh, that's nothing for any of you to worry about yet. Come now, I'll bring up a bottle of cider and we'll toast," Henry said as he left the room for a moment.

"Oh, no. You don't have to do all of that," Sally said, wringing her hands nervously.

"Of course we do," Jack said. "You're the newest member of Halloween Town."

"You all are very nice."

"Found it!" Henry exclaimed, returning with the cider and cups and began to fill them. When he made sure everyone had a cup of cider, he started a short toast. "I would like to make a toast to beginnings."

"Beginnings?" the Mayor asked. "But this is where we all ended up at our ends."

"Yes, well, every end is a new beginning. On All Soul's Day, I'll meet the end of my reign and Jack will begin his. May God help you all."

"Hey!" Jack exclaimed.

"I kid. That is another beginning I am sure will be very fruitful. To Sally, and her afterlife with a new outlook. To the Mayor, may he begin to make decisions for himself."

"I'm not sure about that," Doctor Finkelstein mumbled to himself and the Mayor smiled widely.

"To you, Doctor Finkelstein, and your many future creations and an afterlife with a housebroken lab assistant."

"About time too," the doctor replied.

"And of course, to the future, the ultimate beginning. Tomorrow is another day, another chance to start anew, and it always comes, whether or not we want it to sometimes. Here's to all of us, to tomorrow and the many days to come."

That was something they could all drink to. Not long after that, Henry, the Mayor, and Jack left the laboratory. Doctor Finkelstein took Sally to her room and wished her a good night, still happy from her advancement to intelligence. Sally walked over to the large window overlooking part of the town. She could make out Jack's figure dragging its feet a little behind Henry. She smiled at it before she backed away from the window and mentally scolded herself.

Sally had hardly been in this place for an hour and she was already obsessing over, of all things, a skeleton. Well, he was a nice skeleton, with a sense of style, humor, and a very handsome smile. Sally stopped her thoughts right there. She figured a good night's sleep was what she needed to rid her mind of Jack. As she closed her eyes, she could still see that skeleton, laughing and smiling at her. This time, she didn't scold herself at all.

Present

Sally adjusted very well to Halloween Town, better than I think anyone expected. It's a shame I couldn't spend all that much time with her before I left. Timing, for once, wasn't on my side when it came time for me to go. It was a tradition that had to be honored; when the new Pumpkin King was given the title, the old Pumpkin King had to leave Halloween Town. I'm sure you are wondering where I went, but I am afraid that is a story that cannot be summarized in a blurb such as this one.

— Henry Cadaver


	14. Parting Words from Henry

Author's Note: Over? I don't think so. There's still one thing Henry and I have to tell. But first, I am not an orchestrator behind the original film that sparked my imagination. The rights to The Nightmare Before Christmas never belonged to me, although I do own the videocassette and will purchase the DVD when I get my lazy rear to the video store. You can all thank Mr. Burton, Mr. Elfman, Mr. Selick, Disney, and Touchstone Pictures for the original greatness. The true follow-up belongs to Capcom and their game. All that follows came from me and Henry Cadaver, who's me too since he popped out of my brainmeats one day.

There you have it, eight people with eight stories. From small towns like Abbot, Mississippi and Freiburg, Germany, to metropolises such as New York City and Chicago, they all ended up in Halloween Town. As different as they all were, and still are, they came to know each other very well. Some have remained friends, such as Lock, Shock, and Barrel. Others have become more than friends, example in point, Jack and Sally. One in particular was banished and even killed again, Oogie Boogie, of course. Then, there are two who have become pillars of the community as odd as themselves, the lovable yet bumbling Mayor and the stubborn genius Doctor Finkelstein. They are the ones who embody Halloween Town as your generation knows it.

I'm sure you are all wondering about a few more things as I give my parting words to all of you. I can think of three in particular: How are souls marked to end up in Halloween Town, did I know about other Holidays, and where am I right now?

For one thing, much to some people's surprise upon finding this out, the Stork does exist. I know because I received a letter from him. As the primary caretaker of souls, he sent me a list of those specially designated to come to Halloween Town on the day of their deaths. From that point on, I was to monitor their lives in secret and make absolute sure they were not lost upon their journey from life to afterlife. He would deliver those souls, and others, to newborns and I would take the ones belonging to me when those privileged few died. As far as I know, Jack hasn't received his list yet. Apparently, he has had his hands too full with his first soul to take on any others at the moment.

Also, in watching over what has happened recently, I have been made aware of other Holidays. You see, I had never really looked into those other doors. The Pumpkin King who trained me told me they were unknown and mysterious, and probably dangerous. I took his words to heart and vowed never to look behind them. Jack was another story. I knew he was much more curious and dauntless than I, so I never bothered showing him where the doors were in the first place. I figured that he would never look into them if he never knew where they were. However, he did come across them one day and, well, we all know what happened after that.

Now, as to where am I. That is one question that cannot be answered just yet. I hate to disappoint all of you, but don't fret. You will have the answer soon enough.

Thank you very much for hearing these stories. I collected them for future generations of Halloween Town to read and learn who made their town and where they came from. It has been a most excellent trip down Memory Lane for me, and hopefully, for you as well. Good-bye, everyone. Once again, here's to beginnings.

Henry Cadaver, the former Pumpkin King.

The End

P.S.- Thank you for reading once again! You guys make hyper updating absolutely fun. See you all next time around.

P.P.S.- This is the end. Right here. Really. Period. Bye. (Re-edit Comment: No. This is where it ends.;) )


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